Happy Wednesday! I was going to post about my off-season goals, but, honestly, all I can think about is how much I do NOT want to run the Turkey Trot tomorrow.
This is pretty typical for me. Races seem like so much fun when I register months in advance. My excitement wanes the closer I get to race day and only goes back up after I cross the finish line, when I reflect how fun it was...something like this:
Two recent exceptions were the Jack-O-Lantern Jog, when my only goal was to have fun, and the ZooZilla 5K, where I didn't think I'd be trying for a PR plus was running it with Amanda.
I am planning to try to beat my last 5K time, which is my PR, which means tomorrow I'm going to try to PR. That phrase makes me practically hurt with fear, which makes me want to sleep in tomorrow and blow off the race. It seems I can handle races when I have no expectations for myself, but as soon as I set a hard goal I want to quit before I even start.
BUT. As my running friend Mike told me, in order to run faster and get PRs, I need to push hard and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Racing a 5K is hard. And painful. I need to get used to that. And I know Mike would tell me tomorrow's race is good training for pushing hard for my 2015 races. Plus, it's a flat course. Plus, the weather will be nearly perfect--33 degrees, which is great for fast running.
I think my main goal for the Turkey Trot is just to show up. Once I get to the start line, I'll be fine or, at least, will be going through the motions and getting in done.
And if I show up, then I need to push hard. I may not be able to beat my last 5K time, but I at least need to try. I don't want to get into the habit of quitting before I start.
So I plan to join the 7,000 others who will be running the Pittsburgh Turkey Trot tomorrow. And when I get to the starting line, I'll at least have reached one of my goals.
Then I'll be spending the day eating veggies and Tofurkey and feeling thankful for all the things I love about my life, not the least of which is that I'm not eating the carcass of a dead bird that suffered in its factory-farmed life. :-)
See you on Friday for the Friday Five!
