"Slow" Runners

I hear and see it all the time, and I'm guilty of saying it myself on way too many occasions - I'm a slow runner. There's lots of variations and here are just a few: I'm slower than a turtle running in peanut butter; I'm not the fastest runner; I'm slower than most; I'm not running much faster than people walking. The list could go on and on...

Source

And you know what? I think we all need to just quit it already. Just stop with the whole thing of qualifying the speed in which we run or walk or whatever. Just staaaaahhhhhppp.

Because it's actually pretty ridiculous and offensive. Yes, I've laughed at the sayings. I've even sent one to my sister because it was pretty funny. As a matter of fact - it was this one right here:

But you know what my problem is? When I see someone saying that, but then they post their finish times and they are what I would consider fairly speedy. I'm not a super fast runner but at the same time I also recognize that my fast is someone else's slow, and my slow is someone else's fast.

And that's it right there - we all run at different paces and our pace is just that...OURS. What I can run doesn't change what you can run and vice versa, right? I don't run "slow"...I run MY PACE. And honestly, it's still not slower than this:

So let's just stop doing that, okay? No need to make qualifications and dismissals. Just run your own pace, run your own race and enjoy doing it while you're at it.

How to NOT Prepare for a Race...

So I have a race coming up this weekend on Sunday - the Riverside Mission Inn 10k in Riverside, CA. This is a race that I have participated in previously; in fact it was my very FIRST half marathon and then I did the 10k last year as well. It's also the second in a 3-part race series.

Half Marathon at Riverside Mission Inn in 2010

Now, I've mentioned multiple times that my plan is to PR in every race distance this year. So since I've only run one other 10k this year and ended up coming in far below a PR because I was battling a stomach bug, this is basically my last chance to meet that goal. No pressure, right?

Not feeling too great, but ready to run the Idyllwild 10k in June 2014

And let me tell you exactly how I'm ensuring I am going to be successful in meeting that goal! Because it's pretty awesome...

1. Sleeping in a LOT - yep, the alarm goes off and I hit snooze for close to an hour until the time for working out has passed and I am now rushing to get ready for work instead.

2. Getting sick - yep, my last 10k I ended up battling a stomach bug; this time I'm battling a nasty cold. I swear I've had it for a week and a half and it still isn't showing signs of letting up. I tried running last Thursday and the congestion in my chest was such that it just didn't feel good at all so I walked it instead.

3. Skipping workouts - I haven't worked out since last Thursday when I somewhat attempted to run, but ended up doing a brisk stroll instead. I skipped working out on Friday; I skipped long run on Saturday; I skipped Monday; and then I skipped today. So that means I have 3 days to get some quality workouts in before the race.

4. Eating ALL the candy - Usually I can skip the candy jar for the most part but the last two weeks I have been acting like I live off of the stuff. It's terrible.

So Dangerous!!!

5. Forgetting repeatedly that I even have a race this weekend - I should be thinking strategy and figuring out my game plan, and instead I was actually surprised when my co-worker mentioned the race this weekend because it was the FURTHEST thing from my mind.

So there you have it - five surefire ways to ensure your race is a not very pleasant experience! Sounds like a great plan, huh?

Seriously though, I'm going to go out and do my best. I recognize that I have a fairly decent training base under my belt so a week of missed workouts isn't going to kill me and that by the end of this week I should be back to feeling 100% from this cold. And I also know that if I don't meet my goal, it isn't the end of the world. The economy won't crumble and millions of fans won't be disappointed. At least I hope not...ha. ;) Kidding...

I still think it is entirely within reason to walk away with a PR for this race. My previous best is 1:16 and some change so really all I need to do is maintain a 12 minute/mile pace for 6 miles. I think that is totally within reason and attainable. I'm not looking to crush my PR, I just need to beat it.

I'll let you know how it all goes! Send me good vibes!