Ladies,
It's always amazing to see how differently you can approach back-to-back days. The girls of Tuesday are resolute, jaw set, give-me-all-you-got athletes that are afraid of nothing. The girls of Wednesday are full of foreboding, doom dripping from their brows. Sure, it's hard to run back-to-back hard days, but it's done, and more often than you think. The way a week spaces out, you'll find any serious program will include such combinations. Could it be worse? Easily. We could switch the days.
I like this combination. It let's you get the very most out of your highest quality work, the speed work. It lessens the risk of injury, because that's one workout you don't want to approach already beaten down. Bad form + speed workouts = injury. It also teaches you how to run a hard effort even when you are tired.
I was talking to a couple of you the last couple of days about the real goal of some workouts - to wear you down to the point you have to make a choice. Can you take it any more? Are you tougher than that person next to you? It's funny, because the very same topic came up tonight in the growny-up run I had with my friends. Dr. Jimmy Sowders was trying to encourage a fellow runner to push through her desire to quit early in a run by explaining:
That's profound, and it's exactly right. Amazing how great minds think alike! Intervals, tempos, long runs... they all share this characteristic. At some point, if the workout is structured right, you have to make a choice. And here's the thing... it's a choice you can't make once-and-for-all. It's a choice that has to be made every single workout, every single day. The toughness has to be developed, cultivated, nurtured, so that when the time comes, it's there.
Some people have that wild-eyed craziness, that absolute fear of losing to the point of doing absolutely anything and everything to win, no matter what the competition. That's not always healthy, especially if you're talking about a tack-eating contest (and I've known people like this), but you can rest assured this type of person always possesses the motivation to hurt more.
The bad part of that type of competitor is it really relegates competition to the instinctual level, and in my mind less fulfilling. There is so much more to this competition thingy than merely winning. For myself, I've always enjoyed strengthening my body, to feel the use of it, to experience my temperature rising and my muscles throbbing as I force myself further and further towards the edge, to experience something few around me can or ever will. I enjoy pitting my will against theirs, to break their resolve. It's my mind against theirs, about analyzing the course and the runners, looking for and finding weaknesses, devising tactics and strategies to capitalize on opportunities, to see it clearer and brighter... What's the perfect race? When all the forces - the body, the mind, the will - come together in unity and execute in perfect harmony.
Man...
Oh, we did a workout today, right? Sorry, lost myself in reflection for a bit... we had some great stuff today. And some not-so-great stuff too, but hey, it was the second hard day, right?
Pour over the numbers. Start at the top. Carrie was able to negative split, and pretty much ran away from the group. Very impressive! She also continued on for the 5k, running a 21:15, which is her PR. Sure it was practice, but you know what? It's actual. It's not guesswork, it happened.
Danielle also had a great workout. I give her a lot of credit, because she steps up to lead every workout, whether or not she feels up to it. The intervals last night took a lot out of her, but she gave it her best shot. Sure, today, Carrie was too much. But Danielle also ran a 5k, running her season-best 21:38 on a day she was bone-tired. I'd say that was pretty good!
Shelby toughed out another one. This asthma/allergy thing is tough, discouraging, and really getting in the way of uncovering what she's capable of, but Shelby is full of fight. She isn't making excuses, she tries every day, no matter what. I'm very proud of her.
Alli ran as well today as I've ever seen her. She chugged through two miles as if she were a metronome. Her problems do continue, this time in the form of a cracked shin (from soccer), but it's still a net positive; it wasn't her quad! As co-captain, it's good to see her step up and try to bridge a gap that would daunt others to try. She's an important part of our Conference/Sectional/Regional formula, and she knows it. Great job!
Bret returned! The Bret we've all known and loved over the years showed up today, and she rose to the occasion. I handed her a 7:50 goal pace, and she bested it by 3 seconds per mile. That's 18 spm faster than last week's pace, by the way. It was really, really good to see, and Bret, this should give you the confidence to know you are a great runner, you are important to the team, and we need you to keep stepping up. Great work!
Chloe, I know your back hurt awfully bad the last two days, and now your shins are killing you. Hang in there! We are in the home stretch, and taper is right around the corner. You have some great drops left in you. We'll run easy the next two days, and if necessary, you can ride. You are working hard, everyone can see it, and as much as anyone, I believe you've "gotten it" over the last few weeks. Keep it up.
Locki, the toes hurt, sometimes you complain, but I never mind, because you also always come through. As much as you try to push it away, you are a born competitor. You always find something at the end of a hard run, and it may surprise you to hear you're one of the fastest sprinters on the team.
Diana, you started off great, but ended in a struggle. It happens. You are good enough to run with everyone, but you have to believe it. Everyone hurts! Everyone finds it hard to breathe. Everyone cramps. There isn't a single person on the team who hasn't suffered the last two days. It's okay. Convince yourself you can do what they do. Then do it. You are working hard physically, but we need the mind to catch up.
Keeley, you did a great job yesterday. Today was a struggle. You really didn't give the workout a chance. You can do it. As I've already said, everyone hurt today, everyone. Everyone was tired. Push through it. If you have to pretend every day is a race, then do it. I know your feet hurt. Again, the end is almost here. We have to get every hard mile out of you we can before the tournament. We're simply out of time. I've said it to you before but let me say it again, publicly... you might be the most talented runner on the team. Believe it. Accept the responsibility that goes with it. These girls want you to be great, they need you to be great, and by golly, you can be great. If you want it, want it badly enough, nothing will stop you from being great.
It's always amazing to see how differently you can approach back-to-back days. The girls of Tuesday are resolute, jaw set, give-me-all-you-got athletes that are afraid of nothing. The girls of Wednesday are full of foreboding, doom dripping from their brows. Sure, it's hard to run back-to-back hard days, but it's done, and more often than you think. The way a week spaces out, you'll find any serious program will include such combinations. Could it be worse? Easily. We could switch the days.
I like this combination. It let's you get the very most out of your highest quality work, the speed work. It lessens the risk of injury, because that's one workout you don't want to approach already beaten down. Bad form + speed workouts = injury. It also teaches you how to run a hard effort even when you are tired.
I was talking to a couple of you the last couple of days about the real goal of some workouts - to wear you down to the point you have to make a choice. Can you take it any more? Are you tougher than that person next to you? It's funny, because the very same topic came up tonight in the growny-up run I had with my friends. Dr. Jimmy Sowders was trying to encourage a fellow runner to push through her desire to quit early in a run by explaining:
"The reason a 5k is 3.1 miles long is to get you to the last mile. That's where the race really begins."
That's profound, and it's exactly right. Amazing how great minds think alike! Intervals, tempos, long runs... they all share this characteristic. At some point, if the workout is structured right, you have to make a choice. And here's the thing... it's a choice you can't make once-and-for-all. It's a choice that has to be made every single workout, every single day. The toughness has to be developed, cultivated, nurtured, so that when the time comes, it's there.
Some people have that wild-eyed craziness, that absolute fear of losing to the point of doing absolutely anything and everything to win, no matter what the competition. That's not always healthy, especially if you're talking about a tack-eating contest (and I've known people like this), but you can rest assured this type of person always possesses the motivation to hurt more.
The bad part of that type of competitor is it really relegates competition to the instinctual level, and in my mind less fulfilling. There is so much more to this competition thingy than merely winning. For myself, I've always enjoyed strengthening my body, to feel the use of it, to experience my temperature rising and my muscles throbbing as I force myself further and further towards the edge, to experience something few around me can or ever will. I enjoy pitting my will against theirs, to break their resolve. It's my mind against theirs, about analyzing the course and the runners, looking for and finding weaknesses, devising tactics and strategies to capitalize on opportunities, to see it clearer and brighter... What's the perfect race? When all the forces - the body, the mind, the will - come together in unity and execute in perfect harmony.
Man...
Oh, we did a workout today, right? Sorry, lost myself in reflection for a bit... we had some great stuff today. And some not-so-great stuff too, but hey, it was the second hard day, right?
| Runner | 1 | 2 | Pace | 3 | Pace | AVG | Projected 5k | |
| Carrie | 6:49:00 | 13:38:00 | 6:49:00 | 20:18:00 | 6:40:00 | 6:46:00 | 20:58:36 | |
| Danielle | 6:49:00 | 13:42:00 | 6:53:00 | 20:47:00 | 7:05:00 | 6:55:40 | 21:28:34 | |
| Shelby | 6:49:00 | 13:44:00 | 6:55:00 | 21:06:00 | 7:22:00 | 7:02:00 | 21:48:12 | |
| Alli | 6:58:00 | 14:00:00 | 7:02:00 | 7:00:00 | 7:00:00 | 21:42:00 | ||
| Bret | 7:47:00 | 15:41:00 | 7:54:00 | 23:23:00 | 7:42:00 | 7:47:40 | 24:09:46 | |
| Locki | 8:00:00 | 16:30:00 | 8:30:00 | 23:51:00 | 7:21:00 | 7:57:00 | 24:38:42 | |
| Chloe | 8:00:00 | 16:32:00 | 8:32:00 | 23:51:00 | 7:19:00 | 7:57:00 | 24:38:42 | |
| Keeley | 7:50:00 | 16:16:00 | 8:26:00 | 24:53:00 | 8:37:00 | 8:17:40 | 25:42:46 | |
| Diana | 8:01:00 | 16:30:00 | 8:29:00 | 26:00:00 | 9:30:00 | 8:40:00 | 26:52:00 |
Pour over the numbers. Start at the top. Carrie was able to negative split, and pretty much ran away from the group. Very impressive! She also continued on for the 5k, running a 21:15, which is her PR. Sure it was practice, but you know what? It's actual. It's not guesswork, it happened.
Danielle also had a great workout. I give her a lot of credit, because she steps up to lead every workout, whether or not she feels up to it. The intervals last night took a lot out of her, but she gave it her best shot. Sure, today, Carrie was too much. But Danielle also ran a 5k, running her season-best 21:38 on a day she was bone-tired. I'd say that was pretty good!
Shelby toughed out another one. This asthma/allergy thing is tough, discouraging, and really getting in the way of uncovering what she's capable of, but Shelby is full of fight. She isn't making excuses, she tries every day, no matter what. I'm very proud of her.
Alli ran as well today as I've ever seen her. She chugged through two miles as if she were a metronome. Her problems do continue, this time in the form of a cracked shin (from soccer), but it's still a net positive; it wasn't her quad! As co-captain, it's good to see her step up and try to bridge a gap that would daunt others to try. She's an important part of our Conference/Sectional/Regional formula, and she knows it. Great job!
Bret returned! The Bret we've all known and loved over the years showed up today, and she rose to the occasion. I handed her a 7:50 goal pace, and she bested it by 3 seconds per mile. That's 18 spm faster than last week's pace, by the way. It was really, really good to see, and Bret, this should give you the confidence to know you are a great runner, you are important to the team, and we need you to keep stepping up. Great work!
Chloe, I know your back hurt awfully bad the last two days, and now your shins are killing you. Hang in there! We are in the home stretch, and taper is right around the corner. You have some great drops left in you. We'll run easy the next two days, and if necessary, you can ride. You are working hard, everyone can see it, and as much as anyone, I believe you've "gotten it" over the last few weeks. Keep it up.
Locki, the toes hurt, sometimes you complain, but I never mind, because you also always come through. As much as you try to push it away, you are a born competitor. You always find something at the end of a hard run, and it may surprise you to hear you're one of the fastest sprinters on the team.
Diana, you started off great, but ended in a struggle. It happens. You are good enough to run with everyone, but you have to believe it. Everyone hurts! Everyone finds it hard to breathe. Everyone cramps. There isn't a single person on the team who hasn't suffered the last two days. It's okay. Convince yourself you can do what they do. Then do it. You are working hard physically, but we need the mind to catch up.
Keeley, you did a great job yesterday. Today was a struggle. You really didn't give the workout a chance. You can do it. As I've already said, everyone hurt today, everyone. Everyone was tired. Push through it. If you have to pretend every day is a race, then do it. I know your feet hurt. Again, the end is almost here. We have to get every hard mile out of you we can before the tournament. We're simply out of time. I've said it to you before but let me say it again, publicly... you might be the most talented runner on the team. Believe it. Accept the responsibility that goes with it. These girls want you to be great, they need you to be great, and by golly, you can be great. If you want it, want it badly enough, nothing will stop you from being great.
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