Week 2...

Yesterday morning I ran my 6 mile long run for week 1. DEATH is what it felt like. I thought by running at 8:30am, I'd avoid the heat. Nope. Turns out in great New England it likes to get hot REALLY early. I was trucking along pretty good the first mile or so, I've been trying to teach myself to slow down and keep a steady pace, instead of looking down at my Garmin and realize I'm running 9:30 minute miles for my long run. I know that doesn't seem fast, but it is to someone who is still working on lowering her time to 10 minute miles and who is doing this why training to run a steady paced 26.2 miles in 17 weeks.
I've been learning this pace thing, one of my goals this training season. Cool thing about my watch is when I get home from a run it automatically transfers my data to my computer, all within 3 minutes of walking in the door. This is cool because I can see what my average pace throughout the run was, and it even has a graph so I can see my "highs and lows". It's both a good and bad thing. I like to be prepared, and I like really focusing on my training, rather than just go at it blindly.
We have 3 3 miles this week then the long is 7 during the weekend. I hope I start to get into a routine with this all, although it's hard to plan with our crazy weather. Guess the SEATTLE girl should know better than to complain about rain...

Quote

For me it's the challenge to try to beat myself or do better than I did in the past. I try to keep in mind not what I have accomplished, but what I have to try to accomplish in the future.
-Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Granted, I've only accomplished two half marathons, so I really don't have to dwell too much on 'what I've accomplished'. Life is about moving forward. It's about the goal, the finish, what lies ahead. During a race you don't look back and dwell on the steps you've taken, you aim for the steps you're about to take and the future accomplishment (the finish).

I think the same is true for training. You can't dwell on the training you've done up to this point, only the training yet to be accomplished. Right now my stress is the 6 miles I'm suppose to run today, but my focus should be on the future miles, the miles yet to be ran. Today's run will help give me the endurance needed for those future miles.