This is the first year since I started this blog that I haven’t written weekly Army Ten Miler Training Log posts. If I’m honest with myself, I’d admit that’s because this is the first year that I haven’t trained for the Army Ten Miler. Even though I stayed up late to register and do plan to run this weekend, it just hasn’t been a priority.
I’ve been running, but I haven’t pushed myself to run further or faster, or made sure I include speed workouts and hill intervals in my weekly schedules. When I was nonchalant about “only” doing a fun run at my conference in Boston, I figured it was because I didn’t have any races on my calendar–and then I remembered the Army Ten Miler!
So, why have I not been training for the Army Ten Miler?
I could blame my lack of interest on my workload and hectic travel schedule, but my Octobers always are busy, and that hasn’t stopped me before.
It may have something to do with my new love. When I started going to spinning class once a week, it usually came at the expense of one of my running days. There is no way my legs could handle a hardcore running workout the day after an evening body ride class!
But since I am being honest with myself, I have to wonder if it’s because I had such a great race last year. It will be hard to match–let alone top–that experience. The weather was perfect, I raced strong and finished smiling, and I was thrilled with my finish time. Did I subconsciously under-train so I would have an excuse to not do as well this year?
Whatever the reason, here I am less than a week out from the Army Ten Miler without having trained for it. At this point, the only race goal I can set is to enjoy the day.
Have you ever done a race without training for it?
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ok I WANNA FOCUS on your NEW LOVE.
Ive enjoyed watching your tweets etc about the new found spinning love and youre motivating ME to find my new/longterm/shortterm/DONT CARE WHAT IT END UP BEING exercise-soulmate.
Count me in! 🙂
It happens to all of us I think. Maybe figure out the real reason why you haven’t been training. Maybe your hear is somewhere else?
Sounds like a combination of all of those things. Maybe the goal this year is to just get out there and remember how much you love a 10 miler and how great it is to keep doing this race year after year. Oooh – maybe you can leave your watch at home and just enjoy the race? :-0 Dare I suggest that? I don’t know if I could do that myself.
Have fun and good luck!
Hah! I really think I need my Garmin to pace myself — and to keep from going out too fast like I did at the Lawyer’s Have Heart 10K and Go Fourth 8K earlier this year. I am going to set a maximum pace for myself!
I think you might end up enjoying this race as much as any race ever – your conditioning is still there and sometimes just running for fun is the best!!!
You have been crazy busy! Just go out and have fun, and if you do well and surprise yourself, even better!
Thanks for all the votes of confidence!
Good luck, Coco, and have fun!
You have had so much going on! I say just enjoy going into the race with no time pressures and have fun – I bet you’ll do great!
I just hope I can remember that “goal” once the start gun goes off! It’s so hard not to get sucked into the competitive race mentality.
I hope you still can have a great run and enjoy it 🙂 I want to try spinning too! I hear so many great things about it.
I just tried spinning for the first time in August and was hooked right away.
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