Something good, something great

Sunday, August 12 - Day 1

11:00 AM - 9.5 Miles - 64 min
Fells - Figure 8 loop

So today was my first day back to running after taking a full week off. I was just planning on an easy 7-8 miles but it was such a nice day and the trails seemed better than ever so I found myself going further and feeling really good. I kept the pace pretty relaxed in the beginning and then worked down to a little quicker pace in the last few miles but nothing faster than 6:30s. The legs felt great and other than a little tightness in my right calf, I had no concerning issues. This is the first time in a while that I can say I'm starting my fall season "in shape" and usually I have no trouble starting at low mileage and working my way back into shape. Now, however, I think I'll have to be a little more conscientious about holding back and not going too hard too soon.

I ended my outdoor season with the Beach to Beacon 10K last Saturday and was very grateful to end on a good note by running a solid race and a big PR. I wasn't forced to take time off due to injury or feeling burnt out but with a long season coming up, I knew a good break was necessary. I used this time off to relax and recharge the batteries and really take a step back to think about what I want to accomplish this year. I'm making all these decisions and commitments to make myself a better runner but I haven't really sat down to plan out how I'm gonna do it. And as I think about it, I don't really know what I want to accomplish this year. I have so many goals and dreams but I have a hard time putting together a goal time for this season because I don't really know how far I'll get this year. I guess we never know what we are able to accomplish until we actually get out there and do it. Usually, we can take past seasons and PRs to help gauge where we think we should be in the next season and go from there. But I don't want to do that this year. I don't feel like my last season was where I should have been and if I keep thinking about those times that I ran last year, I feel that will hold me back mentally and I wont have the confidence to go after the performances I'm capable of. So I'll still take some lessons from these past seasons and apply them where needed but I'm not going to base my future goals on what I've done in the past year. Instead, I'll make a fresh start and base my training on where I believe I should be this season and keep those goals in the front of my mind. I feel I've made all the right decisions in preparing for this year and my mental attitude is better than it's ever been. I'm ready to work hard and pour my heart and soul into this thing that has already defined so much of who I am. All I can do now is let time take it's course. "So I wait... for something good, for something great!"

Song of the day: Penny on a Train Track - Ben Kweller