This morning, after a two-day orgy of apprehension-fueled stretching and self-massage, I jogged over the track for my workout. My hamstring felt OK, so I decided to go ahead as planned.
The weather was pleasantly cool and the rain held off except for a sprinkle or two. I plowed through 8 x 800 meters, shooting for 3:25’s or less. The fear of missing my goal usually pushes me a little under my target pace. Today, seven of my eight 800’s were between 3:21 and 3:23. The one time I let myself relax and cruise was on interval #4. It felt significantly easier, and it was the only one I ran at 3:25 on the nose. It’s surprising how much difference a couple of seconds makes.
I’m happy that I made it to the track. I had a good workout that probably did even more for my morale than it did for my fitness. The last two weeks haven’t been a disaster, but there has been one little problem after another. This close to race day, if I had to skip track on top of everything else, my confidence would have taken a real hit. I’m sure I’ll find something else to worry about before the marathon, but for now I’m relieved.
(10.6 mi. run; 146.5#)