Oct 9, 2007

the mile repeat report

i felt good about this mornings' mile repeats when i headed
out the door & down the street.
not because i felt like i'd be fast,
but because i only had 3 repeats (instead of 4, 5 or 6)
with a 5 minute (instead of 4) recovery.

i had freaked myself out a little bit after my mile repeat pr a few weeks' ago. i figured going that fast was a recipe for injury & i didn't want to leave my marathon out on emerson street. coach had said that while he was sure there was a sub 7 minute mile in there somewhere, we could look for it later. and i was totally fine with this. and the following week, my repeats were normal. all within target range. no pr's. just plain old mile repeats.

but, um, this morning. i found it.
that sub 7 minute mile.
i didn't mean to.
i wasn't looking for it.

i went out on the one-mile-at-a-time program & stayed focused.
and when my mind wandered, i brought it back.

at the yellow line, i hit the timer & saw 7:07
and paced circles while i caught my breath & chanted
i do not need to run that fast i do not need to run that fast
i gave myself permission to take it way down on the next lap.
that plan didn't go so well.

on the second lap, i hit the timer and yelled at my watch.
WHAT!?!?
6:34.
i ran a mile in six minutes and thirty four seconds.
my god. is that right? jesus. that can't be right.
and, instead of being freaked the hell out, i laughed & cried at the same time
and wondered where the hell it came from.
and now i didn't care what i saw the next time i hit timer.
but i knew i had to take it down. way down.

that plan didn't go so well either.
i saw 7:06.

so.
maybe planets were colliding.
maybe i ran through some time suck of a black hole.
or maybe it was the hail mary's i chanted just to get through it.
or maybe, because i've set a precedent of user error with the whole watch thing,
i hit it wrong.
or maybe, just maybe. i actually ran a mile in 6:34.
but i'm thinking, 30 seconds is a big gap.
and now i am wondering what went wrong.
my husband says i was this way when i broke an 8 minute mile. he remembers my complete & utter disbelief that i had just done something that i once thought was so unattainable.
he says, did you hit the watch at the start? yes. did you hit it at the end? yes.
still. i'm gonna have to do it again now just to make sure it wasn't some
pre-dawn zen dreamy thing.

but i'll wait till after the marathon.
cause coach said next week is going to have to be more controlled.
i don't want to leave my marathon on emerson.

but i am going to have to figure out some way to know what the hell my pace is while i am actually running. cause i never have any idea what i am doing till it's all over.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sweetie. No, you can't buy a Garmin. Nice try and well done on your "new" pr. I knew you could do this.

Anonymous said...

isn't the coach running the marathon with you to help you figure that pace thing out? i thought so.

zanne said...

yes. on marathon day, i'm not worried about knowing what my pace will be at any given moment. the coach - who is indeed running with me, will know. it's these training runs where its starting to drive me a little nuts. but i think i have solved the problem. i think i can set my watch to a certain heartrate range & it will beep at me if my hr goes too high & i'm out of my range, therefore - going too fast. (or too slow) ... will put it to the test next tuesday so i don't have to just wait & see what i was running when i get to the end. if it beeps, i slow down. genius. can't wait to give it a go!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That's fast! Congratulations!

Nancy said...

OH COOL. and YES SHE NEEDS A GARMIN!!!!!

I did my first sub 10. It was definitely disbelief. But Garmin said so. Sweet.

Vickie said...

OMG, you have done it! Get through the marathon, rest, and then come back for a 5k pr. Your strength will be determined by the outcome of the marathon and a proper rest break after. I think you can do this! Just remember--pacing. I once attempted to run a 10k after a 25k, not realizing my strength from that race. I ended up running the first 5k in 21 flat and had that same feeling you did--where the hell did that come from?? Then I freaked, and ended up running the next 5k in about 30 minutes! That and the lactic acid at mile 5, where I felt like I was running through quicksand. So do your marathon, give yourself a rest, and then go for a 5k PR.

Nancy said...

Hey, Zanne's husband:


GARMIN
GARMIN !
GARMIN !!

If I ever heard a girl that needs a Garmin, it's our girl, Zanne. She can set that little pacer friend guy and he can keep her right on track. And, she had a sub-7 mile. Celebrate. With a Garmin. ;)

Gotta Run..... said...

Love the "anonymous" comment. If you lived closer I would let you use my garmin. I never wear it anymore.

No worries about calling me back. Was just going to chat about your new wheels. Still looking for a picture!!

You are one FAST running diva girl!! no wonder you were napping :)

Holden said...

Yes, coach will be there with his Garmin. Ha ha!

A few words about pace: Developing a sense of pace is kind of like learning to meditate. It just takes practice but eventually your body can just naturally get into the zone. The same applies for running. As you run more and track times, you develop a sense of pace and know almost immediately within a couple of minutes what your pace is.

Zanne, you're in this wonderous place as you transform from wily-nily jogger to a runner. You are taking huge chunks of time out as you get down to your true running ability. You're finding your limits and finding the optimal point or pace for your body. It's been so fun being a part of that. I encourage you to savor every moment. I know you are!

zanne said...

my coach rocks.

zanne said...

nancy, thanks for pleading my case! but i think, much like the bike - the garmin will come to me. i just need to wait for it.

RunToTheFinish said...

OMG, send me some of what you're on!! I need the speed.

zanne said...

are you implying that i am on performance enhancing drugs?

actually - i always used to bring a bottle of water with me to drink bewteen intervals. but lately i've been putting this: http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD.ID=4038&OMI=10082,10047&AMI=10082 in the water. who knows if it really helps - i'm going with it.

Andria said...

Wow! That's great. 6:34! Sweet!