Well, today wasn’t my day and that’s OK. Really, it is. I tend to beat myself up over races but this was only a 12K and I’m going to cut myself some slack.
FACT #1: I mentally checked out at the turnaround.
This was an out-and-back course (out-and-back on West River Drive is never fun). My pace was feeling hard and, as I predicted, I was hating life. I went around the turning point and just let my pace slip. I was done.
FACT #2: I lost a bit of speed since my last marathon.
The LVM was 2 months ago and I’m currently toeing the line between maintenance running and maintaining my speed. I have been training non-stop for the past 2 years and this is the most lag time I’ve had between marathons (Boston training doesn’t start until around Christmas). I need to allow myself some down time….some time away from weekly speed work. So it’s only natural that I lost some quickness.
FACT #3: I really need to get my iPod fixed. I generally run without music but there are some races where music is a necessity (like today). My iPod has been broke since the NJ Marathon last May!
FACT #4: I can’t wait to run an ultra! I just need to hang in there with the speed work for another couple of months until after Boston.
FACT #5: I need to reevaluate my goals for the Philly Half next weekend…or maybe I’ll have a better day next Sunday!
Here are the Garmin stats. A 12K is 7.45 miles so I didn’t do too bad running the tangents. Clearly, if I held back more in the beginning I probably would have done better. Mile 6 makes me laugh….yeah, that’s marathon pace!
The best part of today’s race? Hanging out with Sara, Trish, and Ann and having a delicious brunch of french toast with Trish afterwards.
Tomorrow is most certainly a rest day too 🙂
I’d have a hard time knowing what pace to try for on a 12k since it’s not a usual race distance. I know it’s probably not as fast as you wanted, but a 7:56 pace is great in my book! 🙂 And at least you had a good brunch at the end.
Damn, girl, that looks fast to me! You’re absolutely right though, you need a mental break from intense training, and I bet you’ll improve your speed in the long run as a result of this “break”. You will LOVE ultra running. Come here and do an ultra with me.
If it makes you feel better, I’d slice off my upper (fat) lip to run 7.45 in just under an hour. LOLOL
A 12k seems like an interesting distance! Not that I really know how to pace myself for any race..hah…I think I’d know even less for a 12k! Don’t give up on Philly goals! Although I do sympathize with you on feeling like you lost some speed since your last marathon as I am feeling the same way 🙁
Meh, we all have off days! I’d chalk it up to just that and start getting excited about Philly! Checking out mentally can also have a huge effect on a race, you know? I bet you’ve got more speed in there than you think! Congrats though, I think you did great!
I don’t like out-and-back courses either–they always psyche me out and just aren’t as interesting as loops. I think you did great, and the downtime will be really good for the year you have planned.
I say, have fun with the Philly half and see what happens! I mean, did you already PR in the half this year 😉
I’m so impressed you can still be racing and training and stuff. Marathons destroy me for some reason (or at least this one did). I couldn’t imagine racing a half in Jan! So, be proud of yourself for being a rockstar!
Dang! That looks like a fast race to me! French toast sounds amazing, and enjoy your rest day! 🙂
If I had those splits, I’d be like “Daaaamn, I’m FAST!” haha. It’s all about perspective. 🙂