A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
No, wait, that's the jedi story.
Okay, let's try again. Several years ago, I started running. Completing a 12-minute mile was quite a chore back then. Between being physically out of shape and weighing close to 225 pounds, I guess that was actually a pretty good pace. Especially since I never gave myself a heart attack.
Over time, I gained considerable fitness. I lost a bit of weight, too. And I got faster. Eventually, I broke the 10-minute barrier, and celebrated. Then, I gained even more fitness, lost more weight, and managed to break the 8-minute wall for a distance greater than three miles.
Then I became a triathlete. I lost a lot more weight, made huge gains in fitness, and got to where I could push 8:30 pace over marathon distance. I even managed to run a sub-42 minute 10K.
Now, it is the eve of that annual 10K race, again. And I find myself staring down the barrel of a sub-40 race. I don't know if I can do it. In fact, given the recent marathon, I doubt it is realistic to expect it out of myself. Still, it's only 1:23 faster than last year.
So, I find myself running the numbers. What does it take to break 40 minutes over 6.2 miles. The answer, 6:26 pace. That is what makes it seem so daunting. You see, 40 minutes doesn't frame it properly. I can run for 40 minutes. In fact, I can run pretty fast for 40 minutes. But 6:26 pace, that puts it in my face. I know just how hard it is to maintain that pace over any kind of distance.
But, I will try. I will place myself right behind the elite runners. I will find a rhythm that feels right, and I will see what happens. If I hit the first two mile markers within 13 minutes, I will keep pushing myself harder and see what happens as I head toward the final 5K.
One thing is certain. It will hurt. But it will only hurt for 40 minutes. Than, I can lay down. Or, it will hurt for 30 minutes and I will know it isn't going to happen, and I can ease up.
But I WILL try. After all, that's what it takes to run with the elites.
And that, my friends, is the truly frightening part. To even be considering an attempt to hang with the elites (well, at least the slow ones) is something I would have thought ridiculous a few years ago.
For those of you who believe you're "too slow," just keep working at it. If you push yourself, you will amaze yourself.
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