No pressure...it's just for fun...

Tomorrow is the NYC Half. When I signed up for it, I had intended to try for a PR. That was before my diagnosis of overtraining syndrome. I am feeling quite bummed that I am not up to speed, that I have lost so much fitness when I had so many goals I wanted to accomplish this year.

I had to take most of December and January off due to my CK constantly going up following exercise. Plus repeated episodes of tachycardia. When I was finally feeling better, I was left with one month to train for NYC and two months to train for Boston. That meant I also had to simultaneously build my mileage back up. With little time to do so, I realize my build-up was done a lot quicker than I should have. However, I listened to my body and opted for some easier runs or cutting out my cross training and/or weight sessions. I am determined not to get injured.

As of right now, I can't even decide how easy, or how hard I want to run tomorrow. Part of me wants to push it as hard as I can, but part of me just wants to enjoy the race. My current tempo pace is the same as my marathon pace from October, so I know that if I opted to race, I wouldn't be able to run faster than that. I wouldn't even come close to a PR.

I may not have my speed back, but I do have most of my endurance back as evidenced an amazing 20 miler last weekend. I went home to Vermont and ran to a friend's house the next couple of town's over. I started at 6:45 a.m. I didn't realize how cold it was until I stopped to take a picture of the newly rebuilt Bartonsville covered bridge (my favorite part of running home, which was destroyed by hurricane Irene). My iPhone decided it was just too cold to function and powered off...along with my music. This was after 5.5 miles. I had to keep going. I quickly realized that running without music allowed me to set my own pace in a smoother way and that I ran more comfortably. I also soon realized that my water was frozen in the tube of my hydration pack. Lucky for me (I was freaking out a little) it only took an hour or so for the sun to melt it. So, I ran and ran, feeling free...and getting many funny looks. I don't think people are used to seeing a little running person with a backpack on a small highway. Oh well...I finished those 20 miles of rolling hills in close to an 8-minute pace...with a smile.

The only thing that is keeping me motivated to race tomorrow is the company of one of my favorite running buddies. We ran the San Blas Half marathon in Puerto Rico together last year. The heat and the hills were torture, but his company made it a fabulous run. Not to mention he is a fantastic athlete. Here is a little conversation we had after he ran a sub-6 minute pace in the hilly Coogan's 5k a couple of weeks ago.

I love friendships that are mutually inspirational!

I realize it's probably best to take it easy tomorrow given the high volume of last year and the resulting burnout. On top of my inadequate training going into the race. I have nothing to prove at the moment, so I shouldn't put so much pressure on myself to perform. I should just enjoy the race. So my goal of a 1:25 in NYC and a sub-3 in Boston aren't in the cards this time around.