Focus and Strength

I have a 5k race next Saturday so I did not have to run a "long" run this morning, only 9 quick miles. I was very relieved that I did not have to churn out 22 miles this weekend. I ate a piece of peanut butter toast, chugged a little water, threw on my shoes and began to run. Ahh, the peace. The solitude. And...the PAIN! What is happening? Why am I not coasting along? Why is my breathing so heavy? My core did not recognize the speed and my feet were a little confused. It was hard for my body to remember how to run fast after training for endurance so long. One thing that was a relief was that I didn't have to worry about sugar shots, water overhauls and survival pacing...but there was more...

I had a stressful day at work on Friday and I needed to clear my head. This is, in fact, what was wrong...my mental gun never went off. I was too worried about the stresses of life that I forgot to focus. After my second mile I decided that if I didn't focus I would just quit. (The "Q" word is equivalent to a cuss word in my racer's mind so that was really not an option after all.) I lifted up on my toes and quickly reminded my feet what a sub-eight-minute mile felt like. I blew off all other thoughts and enjoyed the rest of my run. To help my ever wandering mind, I took some time to jot down my running schedule for the remainder of the week...

Sunday- 7 miles
Monday- 6 miles and weights
Tuesday- 5 miles and kickboxing (Nice substitute from a routine ab workout)
Wednesday- 4 miles and weights
Thursday- 3 miles with speed work
Friday- REST
Saturday- Ardmore 5k

I have no intentions of racing the other 5k competitors. I would like to break my PR for a 5k but will also accept an injury-free finish coupled with a painless 22-miler on Sunday. I have discovered that when I forget about the other people that show their face at the start line, I can focus easier. Are the other sports-bra baring ladies intimidating at first? Sure...but I don't have to take any of them home and mentor them on a job well-done...only me.

So I think me and my shoes will show up alone and do what we do best...run.