okay to race

i got the go-ahead from the coach to race in a local 5k this coming monday. woohoo! i can FINALLY get a good pb time on the books. after sunday's final 5k, i feel really good to turn in a crushing time. i haven't trained AT ALL for shorter distances, so i'm not sure what time to push for, but a sub 20 would put me over the moon.

that said, my miles weren't cut at all, since the 5k isn't a goal. out of the past 10 weeks (this week included), seven of them have been 50+ mile weeks. wow. last week was the highest mileage week i'd ever done. and i feel amazing.

i keep getting people commenting about how fast i'm getting, and it's come as a huge surprise to me, as well. i look back over the last few years and what paces i was running at. having run since high school, and having always been in decent shape, i've had a good base to start off from. but these past five months have catapulted me to a new level. last year i was training hard just to get a sub 4hr marathon time, and now i'm running comfortably at a pace that can net me a sub 3:20. each week i'm more and more amazed at what i'm doing. i daily have a hard time wrapping my head around what i'm currently capable of.

i gush about the paces of my runs because i've got to put it down in writing or i can't believe it myself. this isn't me here running, it's some other machine. i really need next month's 1/2 marathon and then the marathon in july to really give me the confidence that this training and pace right now isn't just a fluke, but that i'm really running at this level. it's exciting, scary and energizing!