Going It Alone

I really don't mind running by myself, in fact at times I quite enjoy it. I am a relatively new convert to the group dynamic and there is absolutely no doubt over the past year - year and a half I've made strides in my pace and distance I would have been unlikely to accomplish on my own. I've learned a lot from this group of people and formed unexpected friendships along the way.

This weeks Dam to Dam training schedule gave us the unenviable choice between a Kenyan run or a hill workout today. Since we have a fartlek (he, he, fartlek) run on tap for this weekend, hills it was.

At 5:00am this morning my phone started buzzing with text messages, one by one, from the group of people I usually run with saying they weren't going to make it. This has never happened! I decided to drive to our usual meeting spot, team up with the 'fast girls' and at least keep them in sight until we got to the hill for our repeats. Except they weren't there either!

It was dark, it was cold, I hadn't brought my iPod.... I almost went home. Then I came to my senses... for Pete's sake I was already out of bed and dressed why would I go home? I've been out of my routine enough the past week or so why would I make it worse?

I set off on a 2 mile warm up to get to the long-ish hill by the elementary school I attended years and years ago. Because I haven't run since Friday (but have done Spinning and some weights) my legs felt very fresh. My pace to the hill hovered right at 9 min/mile. I got to the hill and started my repeats. Halfway through the fast girls came around the corner - they had a different path mapped out, but stayed and ran one hill with me, just the boost I needed to get me through the rest of my repeats.

For the first time this season I didn't take walk breaks between hills (we often do every other one walking) instead I slowly jogged back down. After 6 repeats I headed back to my car - just over a mile away. I had set my watch and just let it run for the whole work out - I ran 5 miles on the nose (how funny is that?) in 47:12 - a 9:26 pace.

It feels like I am experiencing a series of challenges designed to test my mental toughness as much as my conditioning. This morning's workout may have been better with running partners. Or I may not have let myself push my pace a little, I may not have jogged down on the hill repeats. I am grateful for the little boost of confidence I got from showing up and sticking with it.