Optimistic

Yesterday I posted about trying to find that pace in training that will allow me to make that move over to the fast lane. There have been so many opportunities for me to make that shift but I seem to keep struggling to make that swerve to the left. Despite that, I am familar with this stretch of highway and know that there will be an opportunity soon.

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness. - Seneca

My workout yesterday gave me a glimpse that I'm not too far off. I felt better and lighter on my feet than I have for a bit. I was able to drop the grade on the treadmill as my hamstring didn't get sore. Being able to drop from 10% to 7% is a big diffference and allowed me to feel like I was closer to that sweet spot of running rhythm. On the elliptical I felt particulary strong and topped off the session with several miles on the bike. In all, over 1:30 of cardio work at HR 130+ and weights.

Today was another good session in the a.m. that included another pathetic swim, although the goggles did work. I'm seriously considering a snorkle so I can just put my head down and go. I also got deeper into my plyo routine and did very light box jumps for the first time. I need to be careful as its easy to get injured if you drop in the plyos too aggressively.

Even though the pure running isn't where I'd like, I need to take comfort and confidence in knowing that all the work has a payoff and I am getting stronger, maybe stronger than if I was just running. Plus, when I do get going I'll be really excited rather than maybe feeling like I've been at it for months. A lot of training and racing is about confidence anyway. It helps having been down this road before knowing that I always have gotten better and that the patience is rewarded. Not always when I want, but I can find the reward when I am more objective.

Even though running uphill on the treadmill is a grind, I need to consider that uphill is my weak spot. I know I'll be better prepared for the Newton Hills at Boston and I really want to be feeling good at the top of Heartbreak Hill so I can take advantage of the downhill into Boston the last five miles. I've been fortunate (if jetlag is fortunate) to have traveled to Boston a few times this year and run Heartbreak a couple of times in training and get a better sense of how much help you get once you start the real drive to the finish and how the course gives back quite bit in the final miles if you are prepared to take advantage of it.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" Winston Churchill