Nate vs. Nichole – bets, anyone?

I’m feeling better every day! YAY!

Coming back into a training plan really reminds me how much I love running and competing! It’s no fun to struggle through workouts and weeks, but coming out of a bad training block into a better one is just exhilarating.

I decided to jump right back into things this week. Either my legs would rebel and continue to feel awkward, slow, and jerky, or they’d appreciate going back to their norm. My hunch was that going back to my typical 2x/day schedule, mileage, and speed – and I was right. Everything overall has responded well. My entire body is feeling more runner-like, my mental state is much better than it was last week, and I’m overall just more jazzed up about life again. 🙂 Yes, I am a nerd.

This will be a 100+ mile week, giving myself a little flexibility to add or subtract miles here and there. I did my first tempo workout Tuesday (blog here) and will have my second hard effort Saturday and a long 20-22 miler (my first in a long time, I’m actually a little nervous!) on Sunday.

Which brings me to Saturday. Nate has his high school 2 mile alumni XC meet in the morning, and the coach lets me run as an “honorary alumni”. Really, the coach just likes that I smoke most of his high school boys, which I guess is a little motivating for teenage guys… they don’t like to be chicked.

I wasn’t really thinking much of it, since I have 2×2 miles planned for AFTER the race, until Craig asked me today who I thought would win in the 2 mile race – me? Or Nate?

Nate running while on vacation in Colorado. Cool shot.

Hmm, good question! Is 2 miles long enough? I can beat him in anything longer than about 2 miles, but anything short and he’ll edge me out (including a mile). 2 miles is about the perfect distance for a husband and wife match-up.

His stats: This spring he ran 1:26:12 at the Whidbey Island Half Marathon and then a 3:20 at Fargo marathon after starting out too fast (goal was a BQ at 3:05).  He took a little time off from structured running afterwards, but the last 8 weeks have been great for him. He’s running the Birkie trail marathon this fall so has put in a few long runs (including 20 last Friday), but has done more rollerskiing than running. Most of his speed work has been on rollerskis. His mile personal best (from high school) is just under 5 minutes.

Mine: well, if you’re following this, you pretty much know me. My personal best in the mile (also from high school) is 5:20.

Place your bets, finish order and spread 🙂
(baked goods to the winner if you’re local… if not, eternal fame on this blog)