RunnerGirl’s Training (b)Log

Today I ran the 1500 meters in an open track meet.  This is something I have not done since 1995.  I raced with Di and Amanda from the high school track team I coach.  I rarely go “head to head” in competition with the teenagers I coach but today was the exception.  Di beat me by a couple of seconds in our 1500 meter time trial a week and a half ago but I still thought I might have a chance today – meet conditions, adrenaline, competition, and all that good stuff.  I mean, I am a COMPETITOR! 

My finishing kick is not what it used to be so I knew I had to run the first three laps a little faster.  Comparing the time trial to today’s race, I ran the first lap one second faster, the second lap one second faster, the third lap two seconds faster, and the last lap two seconds slower than the time trial.  While my overall race time was two seconds faster than the trial my legs just had nothing left on that last lap.  As predicted, Di flew by me with a little over 200 meters to go.  I thought I might be able to close a little of the gap in the last 100 but no luck.  She ran a perfectly executed race.

As I walked around out of breath after crossing the finish line I thought about how I had no speed left in these 36 year old legs!  Di beat me in a race.  It’s official.

I was a little down for a short time.  Very short.  The trip to the track meet was so much fun with my husband, Di, Amanda, and Taylor.  It’s hard to feel down with such a wonderful group of people.  Between the car ride, name that tune, and lunch my spirits were quickly lifted.

Today helped me make a decision.  I was going to see how I did in today’s 1500 meters before deciding about running in the 1500 at the Sunshine State Games and the Southeast Sports Festival later this summer.  With the lack of speed I felt today, I knew that the only way to get some of that speed back would be to do lots of speed work and strength training.

If there is one thing I have learned since my injury plagued days of running in college, it is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!  That is the best advice I can offer to anyone.  So based on how my hamstring has felt after my short, fast speed sessions of the past few weeks, I know that my track days are behind me.  I will not race the 1500 this summer.

Instead I will stick to my original plan of racing a few key races between now and the final Picnic Island of the summer (July 9).  I will then take a short break and start working towards my three big races – Daytona Beach Half Marathon in October, Disney Half Marathon in January, and then the Boston Marathon in April…of course racing some shorter stuff along the way.

So sometimes it is good to get your butt kicked to help you realize what PRs might be behind you and which ones are still ahead of you.

Tags: races, racing tips, track

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 16th, 2010 at 10:30 pm and is filed under race results, run inspired thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.