Two weekends ago, I participated in my fourth road race of the summer. As some of you may recall, I committed to investigating and changing my competitive mentality after a horrible race in late June. That poor performance carried into every single run for the following month. I'm happy to report that I've been making progress.
The Clinton Bluefish 5K celebrated its tenth running this year, I celebrated my eighth consecutive running (I love the streaks). Back in the day (high school), I was a sprinter/hurdler. I did cross-country, but it was only to prepare for track. The Bluefish race in my hometown was the first road race I did of my own accord.
This year, I prepared in a way unlike any other time in my life. The day before was spent at Fenway, enjoying a Red Sox victory, $7 beers, and a hot dog. Dinner was at 11:30pm and involved a couple more beers. Needless to say, I've gotten more relaxed leading up to a race.
Unlike the Yankee Homecoming race, where I had to scramble to register and my running was even and relaxed, like the tortoise of the fable, I stepped up my goal. I wanted to run a steady and relaxed pace, faster than the last time. So after the dust settled from the onslaught that is the start of a race, I decided the best way to go faster was to gradually accelerate my pace and not let people pass me.
I used to go out fast and in the final mile I would have people pass me. Now I am starting out slower and passing people as I go. I wasn't 100% successful as two runners were able to pass me, but I still ran an average pace of 7:15 per mile, which is a lot better than I did in June.
The competitive mentality that I have long sought comes from a solid base in training and the gradual raising of goals and expectations. Instead of stressing out, I have decided that step one is to finish, and how you do that, is up to you.
Stay tuned, hopefully something I said helps...
