I used to be ... a long, long time ago ... a runner. I can't claim that anymore. But this weekend, for a short (ha) 13 miles, I am going to pretend to be a runner!
I've had 6 weeks to train ... (yes, it's already been 6 weeks since worlds) so i'm not expecting much .. but I will finish, and I will try to go fast. :) We will see. My fastest run has been at 6.5 minute miles ... but i know i can't sustain that for 13 miles. I am hopeing to finish around 1:35ish ... we will see!
How did i end up in this 'situation' you ask? Well, two of my good friends convinced me it would be fun ... ok, maybe they didn't use the word 'fun', but perhaps 'different', a 'challenge', and a 'change of pace'. That all sounded good back in Australia when i was prepping for Worlds :) And in theory 6 weeks is enough to get into shape, right? Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are about to find out :)
So i've done a couple of 13 mile runs at this point - i know i can finish. I just don't know how fast i will be ... First of all, my body does not remember how to go fast anymore. I haven't done intervals in ... forever ... and my body is still in 'i can go for 24+ hours' mode. Funny how the human body adapts to survive. I will have to have a serious chat with my legs on Sunday before the start ... they need to understand that this is like an OCup race - go hard or go home ... but i haven't been able to convince them of that yet. We will see :)
Whatever happens, it will indeed be a challange, a change of pace, and something different! And if i am seriously considering off-road triathlons next season I need to start running at some point. What better time? Next i'll have to enter a swimming race ... um, what did i just say? I need to re-learn how to swim first ... :)
To add to the fun, we recently got about 4 inches of snow and so far it's sticking ... although the temps are much nicer running temps today. So the run will be a bit chilly... but i'm Canadian so that should mean I'll go faster right? Right (it's all about having the right attitude!) :)
