Is It Really Almost Spring??

I have a feeling that this spring is going to bring a lot of rain and messy weather. Not really a bad thing as mud season is really a fun time to run, but still a problem for spring schedules.

It was exactly 5:30 Am as I signed up for the Mount Washington Lottery today. I know it makes no difference during the 15 day sign up period, but I just wanted to get my name in there and not take a chance of waiting till the last minute and somehow missing the deadline. I really want to run that race this year!

I feel like it has been a lazy winter for me because of the ab/ weight training in lieu of running. It seems I should have done all the running plus added in the training. I just don't feel that well trained as far as running goes.

I suppose part of that is the way I have trained (speed and distance wise) meaning very little of both. it has been a demanding winter (on my time) but I can't really use that as an excuse.

My treadmill has a max incline of 10% and I ran my longest hill training run this year on Saturday(right after my ab/weight training workout). I not only ran an hour but I worked the speed up during the last 2 miles to increase the effort needed and simulate oxygen defecate.

I am thinking about raising the treadmill with some type of shims to increase the incline. If I do get into Mt Washington, I want to be somewhat prepared. Of course that means getting in some longer runs as I have really been lax through the winter.

The Irish Rover is coming up quickly and I am not sure how I will approach the race. I know I won't run my fastest, actually I suspect it will be my slowest 5k ever. I missed it last year and don't want to this year. I just hope I won't be disapointed with the time.

I want to mainly run the Rover for fun but somehow I can't get the speed thing out of my head. I suppose it is because the 5ks are geared toward speed and most run it for the competitive feel. My stadegy is to start in the rear so I don't get sucked up into too fast of a pace which of course will kill any enjoyment I hope to get from the run. Something about passing out for lack of oxygen in mile one than scares me.

The plus to getting in this race and putting one 5k behind me is the fact that it will increase the chance of me running more 5ks through the season. Last year I didn't manage to run one and I think it affected my 10k times quite a bit.

It would be so nice to have a solid stradegy for this season, but I don't. I really haven't defined in my own head what kind of runner I am(or want to be). For some reason I still feel like a "wanna be" runner rather than a real runner. I know it is all in my head as I have accomplished enough to feel justified in the last eight years.....yet I can't shake the feeling.

On the brighter side, I surely felt the difference in my core when running at Val's, so I think the ab/weight workouts are a plus. Also I have been getting up a bit early to fit them in(3:30 AM) and even though my body doesn't appreciate the time, I feel very good after and am glad I put in the effort.

It seems to me, that if I can continue the workouts plus increase my milage some, I should start seeing results as far as how I feel running along with my speed and stamina. There is a saying, "the proof is in the pudding" not sure what that really means but with this weather, I suspect there will be plenty of "pudding" to run in this spring.