Sunday was my long bike day and it was a new PR for me, as I finished 38 miles, my longest distance, to date. Took me a little under 3 hours, which wasn't so great, but the course that I chose had some challenging hills (it sure wasn't flat!), and I was on the tow path the majority of the way. Oh yeah, and then there is the little thing of needing to get a road or tri bike... hybrid mountain bikes just don't cut it when you are trying to go fast...
It is always kind of amazing to me what you can make your body do, even when it is in pain and would prefer to stop doing whatever it is you are doing. Confirmation again that this race is going to be at least 50% mental. I have been working on getting my mind into a place where there are no doubts, no thoughts of stopping, only the thought of pushing on. Usually, this isn't a problem for me, but when you are planning to go on a 5+ hr race, that is a lot of mental work to stay motivated and keep yourself going, without thoughts of the pain, the time/distances left, etc.
My primary motivation in life has always been to do things that people said or thought that I couldn't do. It is that challenge and adversity that motivates me. To prove to them and to myself that I can do anything that I set my mind to. Problem is, I guess when you are 35 years old and tell people that you are training for a half ironman, they are only supportive. No one tells you it is impossible or that you can't do it! Everyone seems to think that you can do it, and they are just proud that you are willing to try! So, what am I to do?! ;)
Right now, my battle isn't with whether or not I can complete a half, or even a full IM, but whether or not I can do it in what I consider a respectable time. I know I can make myself complete any race like that, but can I do it without walking? While still pressing hard throughout the entire race? My motivation has shifted from the doubters and to my times. What do I need to do in training and how hard do I need to push myself in the race to hit an impressive time? To make the top 10 in my age bracket?
Time will tell whether or not I have been successful... ;)
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Hey Chris- Just found your blog. Don't worry about not walking in your first race. Just keeping forward motion is better than a lot of folks. In fact, I still walk a bit in any race with a run over 10k. The key is walking with a purpose -- I ran a 1:36 half marathon in Austin (not really THAT speedy, I know, but good for me) with one 15 second and one 60 second walk break to reset myself and take in some fluids. I'll do the same next year and shoot for sub-1:30.
ReplyDeleteLet the end of the race present the challenge; it'll get hard enough out there. No need to search out extra work.
-Nick