Yep, thats me. Maybe not in sports, historically at least, but I've always known that I am a competitor by nature. This weekend just confirmed it for me. You think its about the 10K I just ran which justifies this comment? Nope.
See, a friend of mine, Carter, who lives in LA (by the way, I miss LA) just posted on Facebook yesterday that he finished his first half marathon. I didn't even know he was training for one! Carter is an interesting person....and now that I know he ran it, it really makes perfect sense. He's petite, very slender, has the energy of a two year old, can dance (not slow dance, but speedy physically-demanding dance) in LA clubs for 6+ hours straight sweating up a storm but still more vigorous than anyone out on the dance floor. All of this makes me think his aerobic energy and his frame make perfect running partners. And get this...he ran the half in 2:00:56. Stunned me. Seriously, there is no way that I can run my first half in that time!
Its simply not fair. But, don't think I won't try to beat it this year! I haven't really planned a time for my first half, which is the Rock n Roll St Pete next month, but based on the running calculator on my tools page, I am destined for a 2:17 if my 10K race is any predictor. If I have the mental focus and do well prepping these next few weeks, I can do that. And then, hopefully by April, I can beat 2:10! Pride is on the stake now!
Don't go too nuts! I ran my first half in November (the Women's Half) and did 2:21. We were shooting for a 2:15 but it was much hotter than it had been (74 when we started the race; 80+ when we finished) and that slowed me down.
ReplyDeleteMy average 10k pace is 9:10 (ran it at 9:05 this morning). 13.1 miles is considerably different :) All this to say: enjoy your first half (Rock-n-Roll will be my 2nd!) and concentrate on finishing! Maybe I'll see you running with one of the pace groups!