Reminders
Yesterday’s speed workout (3×1 mile tempo, 3×1000, 3×400) reminded me that:
1. I am still very fit & fast. I was beginning to wonder! I honestly do not “feel” that way (vs. how I felt for Grandma’s cycle at this time). Tempo miles were clicking off in sub 5:50s, which is great.
2. I NEED to be diligent about drinking water and making sure I’m taking my multi-vitamin/iron (or just fueling myself with the right things). I also need to be sleeping more. Why, you ask? After the tempo miles, I started to unwind & my 1000s were pretty slow. Weird thing was, I couldn’t do anything about it. I willed myself to turn my legs over faster, but they couldn’t respond. Sort of an out of body experience, actually… didn’t help that I’m really exhausted mentally & so I couldn’t quite process thoughts normally. I’m attributing this to not drinking much during the week, mostly. Maybe lack of sleep as well? At least I couldn’t think of anything else that would cause such a weird slow-down?
3. Also need to work on my speed. Granted, by the time I got to the 400s, there wasn’t anything left, so it wasn’t the best workout to judge, but I know that I don’t have the ability to change pace right now. Need to work on that. Striders, perhaps?
4. I need to stay away from all of this holiday junk food sitting around! Ug, I am so bad at saying no… (my boss caught me sneaking a chocolate piece today at work & yelled at me. Pretty sure I blushed big time, like a guilty child :))
5. Also need to start visualizing the race. The injury hasn’t done wonders for my confidence; I need to work to regain that. I know the next few hard workouts should do that for me, helping me to realize how much stronger & more fit I am than even before Grandma’s (because, honestly, Nichole, you didn’t get fat & slow cross training 10-12 hours a week those 3 weeks!). also, I appreciated that for Grandma’s I had a very defined goal & it was very much “do or die”. I have to find something inside of me that motivates me like that did (goal before injury was proving to myself that I could compete at this level, placing as high as possible) – I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around that now (or WANTING that really bad). Does that make sense?
Still 3 weeks to go — good thing, I have some work to do :).
