Speed...

Yesterday's run was a significant drop-off from the previous week. We only had to run 12 compared with the 21 last Sunday. Not to sound cocky, but we were like, "We just have to run 12" as if it were no big deal. Isn't that strange?

I think in life you master something and it becomes something of an understatement. Like riding a bike... driving a car... etc. And with running, it's been one big "goal" after another. I remember back in January when I had a goal to run 3 miles the first week. That was HUGE for me. And of course, each "major" upgrade in the miles always was a burden to me throughout the year... 4, 5, 6, etc.

For me, this was the 3rd time I've run "just 12" this year. The first was in April when I was preparing to run the Nashville Half Marathon - geez, that seems like so long ago! I remember reaching the end of 12 and thinking, "Wow! I did it! I'm ready for the Half!"

Then, a few months ago, Becky and I had to run 12 one Sunday. I remember it well. In the end, I was gassed. It was so dang hot (we hadn't started our 5:30 AM runs yet) that morning and we ended it by trying to think of everything positive we've gained this year in running. "Eating anything we want... losing weight..." I also remember almost being rear-ended by a bicyclist right at the end of the 12.

Since that 12, our long runs consisted of a 13.1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 14, and 21. After the 18 and the 21, I now know why we ramped down. The body is just WAY too sore after that kind of beating. Not only do your knees hurt, but your thigh muscles are screaming! This week in particular, my legs were pretty dang sore.

So we started our 12 at 6:30 AM - still dark, but almost sunrise. The humidity was a bit higher than the week before, so it was a wet one for me. I made Becky's day by running the spillway with her. Normally I walk it, but I gave in since it would be our last time to run that section of the lake before the marathon. It wasn't too bad, but I definitely had to walk afterwards.

As with our previous runs, our pace was moving along pretty good... and strong. We ran really fast at times. Typically I'd see us running just south of the 10-minute mark. Sometimes we even made it under the 9-minute mark! While that sounds good, I still had to rein her in and even had to force her to walk. I was just getting out of breath. Basically, we were running about a minute faster than we normally do and it was wearing me out.

After 9 we headed north again. This time I wanted to just run away from the crowds, so I told her to head towards Northwest Highway. Once we reached it at 10.70 miles, we turned around. I was getting hot and I was definitely ready to end this run. We finally finished at 2 hours 8 minutes. That comes out to an "average" pace of 10.43. That factors in the walks and stops for water... that's our fastest pace to date!

Anyway, I told Becky we can't keep that pace up. I'll sputter out... and knowing that we'll be running with 45,000 of our closest friends, I doubt we can reach that along the streets of Chicago. I think we can finish under 5 hours, and my hope is that we'll even surprise ourselves!

Now, with less than 2 weeks remaining, I want to continue to focus on gaining strength. I plan to run 5, 6, and 4 this week. I'd like to do at least 2 of those in the gym on the treadmill where I can ramp up the speed and the incline.

So while I don't want speed to be my focus DURING the marathon, I believe it can help me in the training aspect... and in the end, speed will make me stronger. (At least that's the thought this week)