The Amazing Human Machine

The Texas Trails 50K race scheduled for December 5, 2009 in Huntsville, TX is fast approaching on my schedule. I was started to get concerned that I was not recovering fast enough from the Great Floridian Triathlon (GFT), especially given last week's training.

My mid-week runs are now back up to my typical 7 miles, although I'm holding off from doing any speedwork since the GFT. I also was able to start adding a fourth weekly run this week. I'm also seeing my pace starting to pick back up. However, Sunday morning my scheduled called for 20 mile run.

Upon waking on Sunday morning, I tried hard to justify why I really didn't need to do this run--a rest day would be good for me. I just couldn't talk myself out of it, no matter how fatigued I felt. Mind you, it could have been the Margarita's and Mexican food the night before, too, that wanted me to NOT do the run.

Well, I went out to Terry Hershey Park and got my legs started. Still feeling some slight pain in the left glute area (that tends to feel better after I warm up), the demons in my mind kept trying to convince me to stop. I continued to plod along to mile 6, 7, ..., 13,...I thought, "Why not just walk back to the car from here?" I decided it was better to just keep plodding.

I ended up passing by my parked car at mile 16.25, according to my Garmin. "Now's the perfect time to stop!" I kept on running. I did an out back to complete 20 miles. Wow, I did it! What was interesting to me is that even thought my heart rate was extremely low the entire run, my pace actually improved throughout the entire distance.

I wasn't ready, wanted to quit, but made it while increasing pace the entire workout. It is amazing what the human machine can do even when your head's not up for it!