Eyes on the prize

I was already hunched over, dripping with sweat, and gasping for air as I clicked my watch.  Another 9 miler with 3 miles of 5k specific work tossed in the middle, another disappointing workout.  Ugh.

After my last 5k I was ready to toss my current plan in the trash and start some serious intervals, hill repeats, VO2 max sessions and cut back on my high mileage weeks.  Luckily I have been texting back and forth with a running buddy, Brad (aka the Bus), and he talked some sense into me.

I am doing 50-60 mile weeks of moderate paced runs, tempos, and VO2 max work, and I know this will not produce fast 5k times, but fast 5k times were never the real goal.  The goal is another HUGE marathon PR.  All the base was there, and now my workouts have all been geared to making me an aerobic monster, not to churn out 16-20 x 75 second quarters on the track.

I badly want to get that 5k PR to start with a 17, and then maybe a 16, but for now, I know that trying to go there may get in the way of the current goal of a marathon time starting with 2:4X.

So, with this realization I must keep on grinding out my high mileage weeks, simply to get me ready for week #1 of marathon training, it starts with a 56 mile week, 4 miles at MP tossed in the middle of a midweek 12 miler, and a 17 mile long run.....and it only gets worse from there.

I need to keep my eyes on the prize.

"You dont' become a runner by winning a morning workout. The only true way is to marshal the ferocity of your ambition over the course of many days, weeks, months, and (if you could finally come to accept it) years. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. How could he make them understand?”  

-John L Parker, Once a Runner