Race day

I don't even know how many times I have raced in my life. I've been running since the seventh grade, and I still don't know how to handle race day.

In my experience, the more I think about the race, the worse I do. I tend to over-think the whole situation, instead of just letting my body do what it is capable of, my head sabotages the whole race. So my current strategy is to think about the race as little as possible until I get to the line. I know the splits I need to hit, but other than that I try to stay as detached as I can from the race. There's a lot of strange stuff raging around in my brain before a race, I think of things that make me frustrated. I try to bring a lot of anger into a race. I run better when I'm mad.

My good friend Shamus and I have talked a lot about this, and we both came to the conclusion that it's best to run with a chip on your shoulder. No matter who you are, no matter how fast you are, there's someone out there who thinks they can beat you, that you aren't good enough, that you shouldn't be there.

No matter how remote the chances of winning are, you gotta step on that line with every intention of winning.

Run like you've got something to prove.

Noodle Legs

This week we did two workouts back to back.

I am not a fan of this.

With a race this coming weekend, we did a workout on tuesday, some faster intervals in the fieldhouse, then longer intervals on wednesday. By the end of practice I was seriously struggling, my calves felt they were going to rip off the bones. I know by now that my legs had not yet begun to be sore though, that would come the next morning.

Sure enough I woke up the next morning and did the old-man-hobble out of my room to get breakfast. It's not so much an issue of soreness, as much as it is my legs just not working, like I've got wet noodles for legs. (To be honest I am actually really sore too.)

Even though I was in considerable discomfort, there is something satisfying about the feeling, and there is solace in knowing that in a day or two, my legs will recover and I'll be just a little faster and stronger, which is what this silly sport is all about. It's about honing your body and fitness little by little, chipping away at the things that slow you down, so someday, not tomorrow, not next week, but someday, you can just fly down the road.