December 6, 2005
building
coach is really upping the intensity as things lead up to my race. in this week's schedule was the comment, "i want you to go into this marathon brimming with confidence and these next few weeks will do that". isn't that the point of training? persistence pays off, not only in physical ability, but the mental fortitude necessary to carry you to that goal.
so, what 'confidence building' did the coach hand me this week? another intense track workout, a couple doubles, a mid week 15 and a long run of 22. all told, i have 74 miles on the schedule for this week. swiss beef, that's a lot of miles. but i'll tell you what, running those workouts and pushing to finish them properly, that's the stuff that builds confidence.
monday was the track workout, which consisted of a couple miles of warm up, 8x1 mile @ 6:30 with a lap recovery and a cool down. it was challenging, to say the least. actually, the workout was 6-8x1 mile. when i hit the third interval, i was telling myself, "you can quit at six, dontchaknow". each interval presented new and more interesting bargaining with myself, but in the end, i stuck with it and actually did all eight, right on pace. THAT builds my confidence.
well, i'm feeling healthy and i'm brimming, and i can't wait to tackle the rest of these 'intense' weeks. bring 'em on!
Comments
wowzah! this and the post before it make me want to ge tup and run in the morning! it's going to be super cold, and it's almost midnight. *sigh* Should have read your blog earlier in the night.
Remember the end of Star Wars when one of the x-wing fighters is flying through the corridor in the middle of the Death Star, taking fire from all sides, but just keeps repeating "Stay on target!" to himself amidst the chaos all around him?
That's what the end of a training cycle is like - your body is falling apart, the training gets more intense, and it takes everything you have to stay focused on the task at hand.
But if it works, you can blow up the Death Star! Or in this case, run a great race.
(Yes, I'm a Star Wars nerd.)
Posted by: Donald at December 6, 2005 10:07 PMRemember the end of Star Wars when one of the x-wing fighters is flying through the corridor in the middle of the Death Star, taking fire from all sides, but just keeps repeating "Stay on target!" to himself amidst the chaos all around him?
That's what the end of a training cycle is like - your body is falling apart, the training gets more intense, and it takes everything you have to stay focused on the task at hand.
But if it works, you can blow up the Death Star! Or in this case, run a great race.
(Yes, I'm a Star Wars nerd.)
Posted by: Donald at December 6, 2005 10:08 PMHey, awesome sticking in for all 8 intervals, you are amazing, keep up the good work!
Posted by: Jack at December 7, 2005 2:16 AMI don't know Jeff. It sounds like you are training for one of those ultras. I'm sure whatever coach is giving you will work though. Look how far your training has taken you!
Posted by: susan at December 7, 2005 2:23 AMI'm excited for you. good luck
Posted by: wes ellis at December 8, 2005 10:18 AMgood god - you're right - grab some coffee. but worth it, 2 great posts.
Posted by: Susan at December 8, 2005 2:04 PMYour tenacity is amazing. I would always bet on you. Ditto the 'swiss beefing' as hilarious.
Well done on the LVM support. I am amazed you were able to get around se easily in the car. How were the crowds and traffic?
Posted by: david at December 9, 2005 3:01 AMWow, catching up on your running career right now is like sticking one's head in the blender. In reference to the world around you, you're spinning upwards at light speed. Awesome, Jeff! So, how many more buildup weeks are left?
Posted by: Meghan at December 10, 2005 9:07 AMI always think of "coach" as Charlie in Charlie's Angels. Faceless, just giving the drill. :) (And I KNOW you run better than the angels, so don't even go there...) :)
Posted by: beverly at December 11, 2005 11:00 PMOho! But can he fight CRIME while running? I vaguely remember an episode where the Angels did. Oh yes he CAN, he's Super Hip, foiler of the Evil Fallen Bike Chain!
...and he doesn't even have feathered bangs...
Posted by: Karen in Calgary at December 12, 2005 7:12 AM