When I took up running, I did it strictly to increase my
activity level from nothing to something. It was the one exercise I found that
I didn't hate at the time. That was a year and a half ago. Now, I am addicted
to running and getting ready to try my hand at my first triathlon next
March. Suffice it to say, I've taken my
physical fitness goals from just “doing something” to now being considered a
serious runner. Note that I didn't say fast? I said that on purpose because you
don't have to be fast to be considered serious. Fact is, some of the most
intense runners run a8, 9 or 10 minute pace. But, they run distances that
honestly blow my mind! I have several runner friends like this who are always
registering for the next Rocky Raccoon 100 mile trail run or something equivalent. These people earn a lot of respect from me as
I know what kind of shape you have to be in just to run 13.1 let alone running
100 miles. My hat's off to you folks! There is a lot of training that goes into
it. And training leads me back to my subject.
I've been training now for a solid year after getting the
race bug. And those of us plugged into the running world know that training has
just as much to do with physical fitness as it does mental fitness. With the mind and body working together to
create a balance that makes it so that you can do things that the average
person can’t. Part of my connection
between mind & body has been learning to control my pace. When I set out on
the back country roads in the beginning I simply ran as fast as I could without
breathing too heavily. I didn't push too hard but I certainly didn’t know what I
was doing like I do now. Part of what has brought me to a place where I know
how to feel my pace, is a recent experience where I volunteered to be a pacer
at a race in Irving Texas. The Blue Red
Run is a half marathon and 10K event to raise money for a Memorial fund for Texas
Firefighters and Police officers. Something I can really get behind as I feel
that our Police and Firefighters deserve our respect and assistance when
needed. It’s a very nice race course
with some great people. Check it out if ya get the chance.
I had a friend post on facebook that the race still needed a
pacer for the 2:50 finish time. I know I’m capable of 2:50 since my PR is 2:18
so I volunteered figuring it would be good for building further endurance for
my upcoming half at the Dallas Marathon. Plus I got to run with a great of people. I made some new running friends and the experience as a whole was great.
Just know ahead of time, that to
qualify as a pacer your PR needs to be at least 10 minutes faster that the pace
you’re signing up for. Different organizers may have different standards so
make sure you have that conversation before committing.
Pacing WAS good for my endurance. But, it was also very good
for showing me how to control my pace. Since I normally just run as fast as I
can and end up running around the 9:30 to 10:00 pace, I had to pay close
attention to my pace and run a 13:00 pace instead. Now, it’s semi important to
note that by the time this race came about I had my TomTom and can now see my
pace as often as I want by looking at my wrist rather than waiting for the next
update from a free running app in my earphones. And this helps, for sure. But,
I also learned what it feels like to slow down and speed up gradually. There are
all these other gaits in between 10:00 pace and 13:00 pace and during those
13.1 miles I got to feel all of them. It gave me something more physically evident
that I can relate to later to get a good (of at least better) guess at what my
current pace is just by feeling what my legs are doing. Or what my lungs are
doing. Or what muscles are being used more predominately. Or how easy or hard
it is to catch a deep breath. Things that I’d thought about in the past never
felt.
It took being forced to go slow to learn some of this. I try
to force myself to go as fast as possible all the time. And when you’re
training as a distance runner, you need to be more strategic in your approach
to each race. Every runner has made the mistake of going out too fast at the
beginning of a race. Let’s just admit it and get it out there! But as I am now
taking running more serious, I’m learning these finer points.
Just something I learned that I thought I’d share with the
less experienced runners. Not that I see myself as one who knows it all by any
means. But, there are at least a few runners out there in the facebook and
twitter feeds that I see who might appreciate the information. Having trouble controlling your pace? Volunteer
as a pacer for any race that might need the help. You could gain valuable
knowledge of yourself as a runner and athlete. Hopefully it works as well for
you as it did for me.
Remember…
Happiness is a Choice; Make it Daily
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