There have been a few races in my life where I didn't think that the effort I was putting out was sustainable, only to find that I was able to hold that intensity for the entire race. Who knew you could run at 183bpm (max = 184) for an entire half marathon! That one hurt...
I was reading an article called "How to push past the pain" and it really demonstrates what elite athletes go through to win some of these races. The discipline and the mentality needed to overcome fatigue and the balance between winning and failing to finish.
I wonder how fast I could push my body in a 100 miler. I wonder how early on I could push the intensity. I wonder if I could run some of the early hills and still recover over the long run or would each one slowly tire me out.
I think that is why part of me keeps choosing longer and longer races. I like that I don't always need to go to that pain zone. Western states took me to the physical pain zone (knee pain) and the mental pain zone (wanting to quit) but not the lung/leg burning wanting to throw up zone.
Some of my fastest and best races have been when I didn't feel much at all. I was able to run fast and burn uphills without feeling much fatigue. The feeling when your muscles, mind, and body are all in sync. That could also be the result of a really great taper and everything is rested versus tight and recovering, thus, taking longer to fatigue.
The forecast is calling for rain all weekend. That should make the Hallow's Eve 10km and 1/2 marathon extra special. If you live on the North Shore and haven't signed up, come out! It's a fabulous course and gives us an excuse to dress up and run! Also, my boyfriend Peter is the race director and he puts on the greatest races ever!
Just a reminder to check out my Elevate Me Bar giveaway and promotion (20% off boxes of bars when you buy online).
See you in the trails!
2 comments:
I love the course wet or dry and live very close to lynn Headwaters. I find with the stairs, grades, and ripping fun downhills that I don't get in a rhythm and end up running @ 90% of my max Heart Rate for my average HR. Then I read about racers that will push @ 90% for anything < 3 hours. I just got back into shape enough to push myself and am still much slower than I was, so I push harder than I would have before thinking I need to be faster. I have a different perspective now and think I was a bit lazy before.
I push past the pain, when I run, by listening to my ipod. I don't think I could run without it. Do you usually listen to music when you run?
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