I didn't really want to write a race report about my half marathon. For those of you who don't follow me on FB (and WHY wouldn't you?), I got a pretty awesome PR.
After a few days went by, and I started to think about my year. Don't worry, this won't be a year in review thing.
I have been working with Coach Mike for 2 years....like RIGHT NOW....happy coaching anniversary!
Let's go back to when we started. I told him to treat me like a newbie. My thought was that if I'd developed bad habits (which I had) I needed to hear the right way to do things.
Since I signed up with him, I've been a PR machine. It's surpassed everything I thought I could do. There hasn't been a "perfect race". There have been a bunch of races where something inevitably goes wrong but then something inevitably goes very right in the same race. Ultimately, it leads to a PR. The good outweighs the bad.
He treated me like a newbie. When you first sign up with a coach, you can expect to see improvements very quickly.
But it takes time to address the "real" issues. It takes time because everything is improving on an accelerated rated (especially if you have never been coached before....personally coached).
Year 1 went by, and I was happy with just about everything.
Year 2 went by, and I just this week recognized strides that I had made that I didn't even pick up on before.
My goal (from day one) was to start with sprints and work my way back to Ironman. It could be 3 years. It could take me 10. I didn't really care.
Logical thinking says, getting faster at sprints = getting faster at longer distances.
At my half marathon last weekend, I PR'd and ran my fastest 10 miles ever. It was a 6 min PR over 10 miles. I almost peed myself I was so happy because this is what I have been working for. It takes time getting faster at longer distances. I've logged a lot of running miles always wondering, "how will this translate into a half?" Well, I'm almost there. I'm almost at the goal that I set 2 years ago. I know this because of my 10 mile time.
At my half, I passed the 10 mile mark in 1:42. Although I've seen dramatic improvements at the sprint and oly, this was the first time that I've seen a substantial improvement at the half.
Now I'm left with a decision to make.
If you read about the bet that I made with Coach Mike, you know that I lost. This meant that he gets to choose my longest race next year.
When I was in Vegas, he told me the race he was thinking about.
I was floored. I was really blown away. I thought he was going to go with a completely different race.
I'm kind of stuck now. There was a goal that I wanted to work toward next year, but I don't think the training would work with the race he selected.
I have to decide what I want to do next year.
The issue is that they are both really great goals. They are races that I think I would do very well. Actually, I think I'd KILL those races. Seriously.
One would push me harder than I've ever been pushed with no guarantee of a PR, but the satisfaction of going as hard as I can.
One would pretty much be PRs across the board. Still tough, but in this case.....is a PR worth it? It's a step toward another goal. That's the decision I have to make. UGH. Everyone says the course is really easy (ie flat). Do I want a bike course that doesn't really play to my strengths (hills)? Is that a dumb thing to consider?
Nothing is ever guaranteed, but if you were a 5 hour marathoner years ago, and now you're running 1:30 half....you pretty know that you'll get a marathon PR....understand what I'm saying?
I keep floundering. AND of course, I know a certain someone WHO has already said she would do Coach Mike's race with me. That's always a bonus.
I thought I was going to be ready to talk about my 2014 race season next month, but I won't be ready until Jan or so. I guess I'll just sit back and figure it all out later.
Damn Coach always throwing curve balls at me.
