If I were to list out my events from best to 3rd best, It'd be: BIKE/SWIM/RUN with the bike and swim being very close.
In 2013, I was #1 on the bike at every race except one. That race I hadn't even trained for, not the way I should but I was going through a phase. I have to say that given my training, it was a pretty exceptional effort on my part. (Not to mention, I was using the wrong cassette and had to fix mechanical problems).
In 2013, I was usually 2nd on the swim.
In 2013, I was usually top 7....(depending on the distance) on the run. I was as high as 5th in a couple of races.
I kept saying that if I could just get my run a little faster. I wasn't asking for a lot, just a little bit faster. If I could do that, I could really be a force to be reckoned with. You don't have to be good at math to understand the numbers above.
1st + 2nd + 7th doesn't really equal 2nd or 3rd.
Unless, your 1st and 2nd are THAT much faster than everyone else's.
If you had the nerve to get out of the water before me, I was going to hunt you down on the bike.
Then, it was my turn to be hunted down when it came to the run.
There's a mental aspect to this that I had to learn. Because someone passed me, it didn't mean they were faster than me "overall". It didn't even mean that they'd finish top 10. They were simply fast runners than me. In other words, if I was passed on the run, I had to "hold my shit together" (as Molly says).
None of this is new.
This is new: my approach to running.
It's hard to say that I'm on a run focus because it is unlike any other run focus I have ever done. In a way, it doesn't even feel like a run focus. I never feel beat up, not even on long days. I finish running, and I feel energized. Coach has changed a lot of things. I have new heart rate zones. I am on a strength training plan that I love and was exactly what I was looking for. ($$$ savings NO Personal trainer!)
The result, so far, has been some of my fastest times ever....and that on snow and ice.
Today, I had a workout that called for 5k intervals and faster than 5k intervals. The intervals were back to back. For all intents and purposes, it's a hard workout. Not quite a speed day, but fast...and on hills and snow and ice. I had NO expectations for this workout.
When I finished, I checked my times. I posted my fastest training run....ever, maybe? It's been so long since I've run that fast. I can't even tell you when I ran that fast. my 30's? My 20's?
Maybe, now, you understand when I say expect big things this year.
I don't expect to be 1st, but I don't have to accept being 7th on the run.
