Sometimes When You Win, You Lose

If ever there was a time in my journey that things are a little off, it's now.

I just hit two new PB's this week... the 2 miler and the 1 mile intervals.

My calf pains also feels like a thing of the past... the pain/discomfort has pretty much subsided.

Everything just feels like it is lining up for me.  I should be ecstatic.

So why am I not?

I am feeling more like a hockey team that just won their 3rd game in a best of 7 series.  Good job, but no time to celebrate.

It's difficult to be happy when my "target" time doesn't guarantee me a BQ and only allows me to be the second group to register.

I realize, I need to control what I can and live in the moment.  Translation: keep on working to improve and let the chips fall where they may.

"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything.” - V Lombardi

Taking Nothing for Granted

I try to never forget how lucky I am to be chasing a dream.

Last week's long run before the First Half race was a cold wet one.  But I thought, I'm so fortunate that I am doing what I want to do at this very moment.  Sure, I wouldn't have minded if it was warmer and dryer, but the fact of the matter is, I'm out there with a bunch of friends and we're having a good time.

The following week, the conditions were ideal to race the First Half Marathon.  Cool and dry.

I went in thinking I'd run a 15k tempo and then slow down to a 5 min/k pace, but John would have none of that.

So I gave it.

I had a terrific race.

I went out a little too strong, 4:10 for the first km and then slowing to 4:25.  By kilometer 3, I was in my zone and kept my pace of 4:36 for the rest of the race.

In the end, I knocked 10 minutes off my previous half marathon PB, and came in at 1:38:07.

The time translates to a 3:25 marathon.  Pretty solid into a BQing.  I was stoked.

BAA had a different plan.

1. They are having a rolling/staggered admissions. Faster people get to register earlier... until the race is completely sold out.
2. 2013 They are lowering qualifying times by 5 minutes across the board. But with the rolling admission, it makes the times moot.

I'm not giving up, but I am rethinking my strategy.

The balancing act of what is possible and what I'll likely need to be able to register.  I'm thinking a sub 3:20 will be where I need to be.  This gets me into the second group to be able to register, and is comparable to a 1:35:37 half... 2.5 minutes faster than my recent results.
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On the way home from JH the other day, I was driving along the Park drive when I was rounding a bend and saw headlights headed straight for me.  I jammed on the brakes and avoided a collision.  I suggested to the driver he was going the wrong way on a one way street.

I really am lucky to be given the opportunity to chase a dream.

The Un-Natural

Some people are born to do certain things.

Despite professing his love of golf, Mario Lemieux was made to be a hockey player.  BTW, while he's one of the greatest hockey players of all time, he was only mediocre at golf.

Ken Griffey Jr was said to have the perfect swing.  And nobody could argue that Samuel Wanjiru was not made to run.

Sure they train hard, but even if they didn't, they'd still be really, really, really good at their chosen profession.

I'm not like that at all.

My daughter said me that she was hoping she'd inherit my running ability.  I stopped that one dead on the tracks.

I had to break the truth to her... I said, "I'm not a great runner."

My running doesn't come natural for me... everything I do is a product of hard work and my learnings.  And just about the only thing she could hope to inherit from me is my math skills.

When it comes to running, I am like a sponge for information.  I am willing to try anything with eyes wide open.

My stride length, posture and foot strike have all been created by me in order to run better, faster, stronger.

I used to take longer strides, but found that by shortening them, I can actually run faster.

My posture doesn't feel normal as I push my hips a bit forward so that instead of propelling my legs, I'm merely catching myself from falling and in doing so, saving energy.

And yes, I've been a heel striker since the beginning of time (roughly 44 years) and now I find I'm trying to skim the surface by landing mid-foot instead.  Landing mid-foot has increased my cadence and roll over speed.

I know I'm a pretty good runner, but I'll never be a great runner... and that's ok.

Oh, and aside from math, the other thing I hope my daughter inherits from me is my drive, my drive to never ever give up when you're chasing a dream.

Top of the World

I normally don't say that.  The title is from a song by the Carpenters, and as our family lacked any cool genes, we were all big fans.

I feel like everything is coming together.

My interval runs with JH are steadily improving and I've even dropped my tempo time a bit while increasing the mileage.

With the times I've been getting for the 1mi, 2mi and 14km, I can finally say, I've achieved the calculated time for a BQ.

VIM.  Three months left to the day.

I have two options....

1) Cut back a bit.  Push, but not too hard that I increase my risk for injury.  Safe strategy for a 3:30 finish.

2) Run like you stole it.  Test the limits.  Sub 3:25?

I gotta say, I'm leaning towards 2.

What once was thought to be impossible, is now in my hands.  When I ran my first sub-hour 10k, I thought I'd achieved the impossible.  And I did.  But now I'm clocking  a sub-45 minute.  Boston was just a pipe dream a few years ago... now I am excited that it looks like it's becoming a reality.

But I still know I'll have challenges.  Staying healthy through the hard training, dropping a few pounds, and wanting to push it 'til I feel like throwing up.  Still, the challenge and fun is an exciting time.

I'm euphoric.  I'm on top of the world.

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." - P Picasso 

Power of Now

I'm a fan of the New Age Religion.

Well, having done about 2 minutes worth of reading up on "New Age", I'm not entirely sure if that label is accurate.  But I do try to adhere to the philosophies within "The Power of Now".

One of my goals is, is to immerse myself in the moment.

So, be it looking at charts on a computer monitor, or playing with my kids... if I'm there, I'm there.

With running, I've been going at it pretty good recently.  I'm setting PB's with each new interval and even JH remarked how much faster I've been.

I'm really at a loss to explain why.

Previously, when I ran hard, I'd try to focus on anything but the actual running.  I would think of other people or things in order to distract myself.  Heck, I even used anger to try motivate me.

Now, I'm not really thinking about anything except for what I'm doing... i.e. being present.  Instead of distractions, I embrace what I'm doing... the running and of course the pain and discomfort that comes with it.

This week as we huddled around John to get our paces for the 1x2mi and 2x1mi, he looked at me and said "6:45 and 6:30".  Are you f'n kidding me?  The fastest I've done a 2mi is just under 14 minutes (i.e. 7 min/mile) and the fastest 1mi I've ever done is a 6:40.

Sometimes it's hard, to just stand there and take what's given to you.   But that's what I did.  But in all honesty, I questioned the sanity of my decision.

At the start, I didn't think... I just ran.

Thirteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds later I was done.  Holy crap!  I knocked 30 seconds off my PB.  The 1 mile repeats also went well, 6:34 and 6:29.

I even "taunted" Amanda as we neared the end of the last interval.  "C'mon let's go" I said to her.  We sprinted to the end.  I felt like throwing up as I crossed the line, but at the same time, boy did I feel great!

"Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be." -- E Tolle

Running with Ben Kenobi

I feel quite honoured.

I've been Facebook friends with my old marathon leader, Angela.

Back in my Running Room days, she guided me, to do what I thought was the impossible... running a marathon.

She made running fun.  It was a very social atmosphere.  Our long runs weren't a race, they were casual.  We got to know all the people we ran with.

I met Chantelle there, and she in turn introduced me to TLT.  I met Wynne, Joe, Don, Grace, Beverly... heck nearly all my (running) friends are connected to my marathon clinic.  I met Sue at JH, but even that's has a RR connection, because it was Chantelle and Grace wanting to to sign up for JH because of the success stories they had heard about from people like Angela.

Angela and I had bumped into each other at coffee the week prior.  She's off to Boston so our training schedules are similar.  I sent her a message via Facebook and next thing you know, she's one of the gang.

I asked her to come up with a route and on Sunday morning she had 3 for us to choose from.  We went with Ambleside.  I am sure I mentioned this before, but I'll say it again.. I love running to the North Shore.  It's cool to say you ran to West Van, it's beautiful when you get there, and the run features two bridges, so it's a nice challenge.

I had a great time chatting with her.  We talked about everything under the sun.  We talked about her soccer days, her Ironmans, and even her days working at a grocery store.  By the time it was over, we ran about 22kms in a little over 2 hours.

"The Force will be with you, always." - B Kenobi

Livin' on the Edge

Last Sunday, I ran with a few running buddies, including TLT.

I love running with her.  Never a dull moment.

A few weeks ago, we were out for a long run.  She was pretty tired, as this was her first long one in quite some time.  Near the end, she said, "do you want to see me pole dance?"  I've been running for over 7 years, and I've never heard that question in the middle of a run before.  She then showed me some moves and I laughed.

On Sunday we were talking about the VIM and if the pace bunnies would be doing 10s and 1s.  I said, if they were, I probably wouldn't want to go with them, cause, I don't want to run that fast for 10 and then cool down for the 1.  I said that you typically need to run about 10 seconds faster, per kilometer, when doing 10s and 1s.

TLT said, "don't think about it so much and just do it.  You think about what you can and can't do, but you gotta run on the edge more."

What she doesn't understand is, I do.

For my intervals and tempos, I leave nothing on the table.  My entire focus is doing the best I can.  I used to run to my Garmin speed, but no more.  While I still check it, I'm not a slave to it.  I find that by looking at it less often, I put more effort in and I'm not constrained by my pace targets.

I don't set limits on what I can't do.

"So suck it up and tough it out and be the best you can." - J Mellencamp