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| Salem Lake |
I've been working on getting stronger and preparing for the Salem Lake 30K this summer... Somewhere around the end of 2011 and the 2012 Umstead Marathon, I peaked as a runner. Until this point, I had gotten away with running too hard far too often. While I was "getting away with it" I was fortunate to win a few races, set several PRs, and get much, much faster than I ever was. But then my body just started to plain get tired. Injuries began to pop up here and there. I pushed through the 2012 Atlanta marathon and 2013 Boston and realized that I needed to really dial back the intensity, give myself a little break, and work on getting stronger. I definitely haven't given up on trying to win the occasional race. I definitely believe that I can still pull the rabbit out of the hat now and again. Nor have I given up speedwork. But the biggest lesson I've been fortunate to learn is the art of the truly easy run. Too often and easy run meant just a little less hard than my most difficult workout. Now, thankfully, I can really dial it back and just enjoy observing the awesomeness of Carolina North or Umstead Park. I've also learned to push it much less often on my long runs thanks to Dave Stepp's wise advice. I still push a long run once in a while, but I'm not trying to nail low 6:00/mile anymore. As a result, I finally feel like my form is back to normal and I easily feel much, much stronger as a runner. The speed is coming back too as I continue to work that once a week or so and take a week off from it as I need. I'm really looking forward to running the Salem Lake 30K in a few weeks and hopefully I'm able to do Run at the Rock and the Frosty 50K this fall/winter as well. I am always so excited to see and hang out with the kind folks I get to see at all these races! Hopefully I can post a little more often and write a bit more about my training as I go!
