Sandbagging
Argh. Why do I do this??
Tonight’s VO2 max was 8x800m. 1st time I’ve done 800s during this cycle, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I consulted my “advanced marathoning” book, and it told me to shoot for 2:48s.
Plus, I knew in the back of my mind that, per the “Yasso 800” workout, if I were to do 10×800 in 2:50, it’d be a good predictor of a 2:50 marathon. So 2:48 seemed like a good goal.
So, after a longer warm-up, that’s what I did. 2:49 1st one, then a couple of 2:50s (which I told myself was OK, since that’s my goal marathon time), then 2:48, 2:48. I gave myself 2 minutes rest between each one. I really only needed about 45 seconds (thank you, tempo workouts for teaching my body to recover VERY quickly).
So after the 2:48, when I looked at my watch 45 seconds into the recovery jog, a lightbulb went off. I wasn’t tired. Seriously — what am I doing out here, if I’m not even going to run hard enough to make it worth it? Let’s forget the “goal paces” for the last three & just run hard.
Outcome:
2:44
2:38
2:38
Much better, and I was actually tired after them. Who knew? Wish I would have run them all this way.
Why do I do this? I feel like now I run too conservatively, always hitting my times, but holding back until too late because I’m not sure I’m going to be able to finish all of them. And then I do what I did tonight — I feel like I’ve wasted a workout. Granted, tonight wasn’t “wasted” — but it could have been a LOT harder.
So, in short, I have a lot of mental confidence to build in the next two weeks. I know I need to believe in my ability and trust that I can do it. I also need to be confident enough to race with reckless abandon, knowing that it’ll hurt, but not caring because you know you’re strong & can push through. I know I used to have it, so it’s there — I just need to find it again.
After all, “to put it simply, I think that this [racing with reckless abandon] is the difference between being good and being great.”, Jen Rhines, Runner’s World article 2008, talking about why her track racing was suffering.
Good to realize it during tonight’s workout. I don’t just want a “good” time at Twin Cities 🙂
