Well, I've discovered one good thing about signing up to run in races ... when I woke this morning, after a late night last night, the only thing that got me out of bed and into my running shoes was the thought that I am running in an 8km trail race THIS THURSDAY, and that I hadn't exercised for the past two days (not even a bike ride to swim lessons, since it rained one day, and yesterday we squeezed swim lessons in amongst a variety of other outings that required using a vehicle). Today, I listened to music, which really seems to enhance my ability to let go and get into the calm, breathing zone. So instead of going 8k, as originally planned, I headed on for the full 10k loop, and discovered that I got faster rather than slower. I'm not sure I could have kept the final pace up much longer, but it got me home, and in under an hour. It was not the struggle that Tuesday's run was, rather I felt like I had enough energy to fuel me, and I felt very calm and contained. (Here's one extra thought: why do I feel like my good runs are sort of not that useful to me--too easy, too pleasant--and my hard runs are more meaningful in terms of building up my character and teaching me lessons in how to cope with challenges? What does this say about my personality?).
Now. How to prepare for a race? My expectations are very very low. I would like to finish the race, and not stop to walk. I would also like to discover what it does to me mentally--what new challenges arise running with other people in a (sort of) competitive environment.
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