Need For Speed

I, like most other triathletes, want to be faster. Speed is an elusive thing I desperately want to achieve, but don't quite know how to get there. I've never been particularly great at pushing myself beyond the comfort level so I've been slow to advance. The first time I really pushed and tested my limits was back in February when I first started with my coach. I did a series of time trials to establish my training zones. Now that I've been at it for a few months, it is time to test all over again.

I started today with a three-mile run time trial, a repeat of the same course I tested on three months ago. I did the previous test in 22:49, by far my fastest run at that distance at the time. I was hoping to have improved, but didn't feel great this morning. Even though I went to bed relatively early, I slept poorly and my stomach was upset. I took my time getting out on the course and was thankful for the 15-minute warm up. I was feeling slow and couldn't imagine getting my body to move quickly so I was filled with doubt and concern. I started and did the best I could, pushing but remaining relatively comfortable. I glanced at my Garmin and I was at a 5:55 pace. I managed to maintain this for about 15-20 seconds and dropped to a 6:30-6:45 for a couple minutes. I was overjoyed. I've never run this fast in my life so it was a major milestone for me. I knew it wouldn't last so I enjoyed it while I could.

I battled a headwind for awhile and got some relief at the turnaround. I hit a bit of a wall and my pace suffered, but I saved enough to push the final mile just a little and finish 42 seconds faster than my previous TT. That was enough for me. My splits were (1) 7:12 (2) 7:32 (3) 7:21. Someday I hope to stay more consistently in the 7:12 range. All in good time.

Running
Distance - 3 miles
Time - 22:05