38 day streak and counting. I notice a difference in my mood and energy as well. I'm not sure if this is due to working out everyday, my new medicine, or getting lots of sleep. It could be all three, but that's beside the point. I had so much energy (disguised as impatience) on Saturday that I decided to test my fitness on a 1/10th mile indoor track. I thought that 6 weeks of consistency would have me run a new mile PR, just like that. But after carrying 6:00 min pace for three laps, I learned otherwise.
I forgot that I hadn't done any speed work during these last six weeks, other than two 5ks on a whim and some mini (slow) tempos. As strong as I felt that day, it didn't mean crap without all the elements in place. I ended up doing 2 x 800 at 7:00 min pace and added a slow three miles to the day. But more importantly, I was forced to try and find the positive. I found two:
1. I still feel in the best shape of my life. I feel very strong endurance wise.
2. Last year, I did something similar-- went to the indoor track to run a mile. The result was a 7:50 and it felt all out. So, comparing last year to this year, that's an improvement. See, at this level, you can always find improvement, even if small, somewhere. Also last year, a 3:40 indoor 800 felt really hard. This time around 3:30 felt that hard. Another tiny improvement.
I'm not sure what I'm training for yet but Saturday added new ideas to my head. In all, my impatience to race off little speed work led to an important realization: It takes more than just consistent, slower mileage to break PRs. Because I'm somewhat injury prone, it's probably best to just continue with the slow buildup with the goal of an endurance-type race in the spring versus stopping at around 35 miles a week and getting intense with speed workouts. But if I think too far ahead, I'll grow more impatient. Taking it week by week seems to be working. And that's also keeping me healthy and energized.
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