Turning the page

This coming Sunday is the April Fools 10k run. This marks the end of my Jack Daniel intermediate program. If my left knee holds up, I expect to PR in this race. My lifetime PR for the 10k is 49:56, which I did somewhere around 1988. My last 10k was in December where I ran 54:17.

I could not really run this week because of my knee so hopefully it will be up to snuff on Sunday. If it holds, I'm going to attempt to go sub-45. This would be an amazing achievement for me. I remember that race in the late 80's, after I had run under 50 minutes. I couldn't imagine EVER running faster than this. I talked to this guy who had just started running and he had finished in 44 minutes and change. That's where I was confronted to the fact that some people just run faster than others. All you can do is work with what you got.

I remember ACCEPTING the fact that I would NEVER run under 45 minutes, let alone do it at the ripe age of 44. I don't know why but it just seemed impossible.

Training programs change everything. Back then, I just ran. No intervals, no speed work, no nothin'. I followed programs from two books, the latest being Jack Daniel's Running Formula. I have made incredible improvements in my running, from a 30-some minute 5k in September to a 21:45 5k two weeks ago, all that in about 6 months. I followed the program as closely as I could.

After this race, I will need to follow one of his key advice: take a break. In my case, this won't mean stop running completely but I will stop following a structured running program for a few weeks. As I mentioned in previous posts, I intend to participate in a few triathlons this summer so I will concentrate on cycling and swimming during that time. I will still run, but just for distance with the goal of running the Sulphur Trail 25 race on May 24th.

I believe I need this rest. My knee is not giving me problems for nothing. It might be that I won't be able to make the 25k run in May. That's ok. There will be others.