running by feel
running by feel: fail
So sometimes I feel like I’m running too fast, or, should I say, faster than I think I should be running. Is that weird? I have in my mind how fast of a runner I think I should be (running sub-8 minute miles for a marathon is a total mental thing for me!), and then there’s how fast I want to run. 3:20 marathon? 3:15? I would loooove it, but I don’t necessarily feel like a runner who could run that fast. But I could! Right? Right. Mind over matter.
Anyway, although I do enjoy getting caught up in the numbers, I started to think that I should try running by feel for the last couple weeks of my base building for Boston. I’ve attempted this before and it usually turns into a disaster, as I end up running fast…I have absolutely no sense of pace! I think I’m running slow, so I run faster, and then I find out…whoaaaa, calm down there! Hence why Garmin is such a glorious thing…my own personal pacer!
Tuesday, January 12
6.07 miles in 45:15, avg pace of 7:27
It was a lovely run…somewhere around 30 degrees and the wind wasn’t too bad! When I hit the 1.5 miles to go mark, I was totally over running…what is with me lately?? Hopefully this goes away soon.
on the job hunt
I worked up the courage to call one hospital yesterday morning. They told me to call back in about a week and a half if I haven’t heard anything from a recruiter. I guess that’s better than nothing. I didn’t have the courage to call a second hospital, however. Baby steps!
on the horizon
I’ve a few exciting things coming up that I’m really looking forward to! Next Friday, I’m headed to Laredo, Texas (it’s pretty much as close to Mexico as you can get…) for the wedding of one of my high school friends. It’s going to be a girls’ weekend with our other friend from high school being there, so it should be fun. And we’re bridesmaids so we’ll have matching dresses. 
We plan on hitting the dance floor quite hard, so it will be glorious. Also, I am excited to run in shorts. Some of the other people in the wedding party are marathoners, so hopefully I can con them into a run in the sun!
My college roommate, Sara, is in grad school at DUKE, and I keep saying I’m going to go down there to visit her. I finally got my ducks in a line and bought a plane ticket for February!! Not only is it going to be an S^2 REUNION, but I also get to see Sarah and Allie!! I don’t think Sara knows about the blog (not too many real life people do…now’s the time to fess up if you found me!), so I suppose I should let her know. Either way, it’s going to be an amazing weekend.
Time to get ready for work…ah!
You are speedy, speedy!! I know everything is relative and I’ve only been running since July, but I’m at a 10-min mile for short distances and a 10:30ish for anything over 5 miles, so a less than 8-minute mile is just amazing to me!!
Looks like you have lots of things to look forward to in the coming months! Have a great time at the wedding & good luck with the job hunt!
YAY SO glad you’re comin’ to town!!!
I sometimes feel like running by numbers is like eating by numbers. It’s not very intuitive..both pace and distance. When I set out for a run I have a number in my head. If I don’t make it, I feel kind of blah. If I surpass it, the whole time I’m like…I’m done, I can stop at anytime now. Then again, I have an annoying mind and think too hard about thing
Whooo hoo glad you called at least one hospital! Baby steps is definitely the way to go!
several items i feel necessary to address:
a) running by feel is definitely hard to get to sometimes.. and as much as you want the numbers/time/distance for knowing your mileage, I think you should try LEAVE the garmin/watch and go on a route that is completely unfamiliar to you and just explore. Hmm.. sounds like Laredo would be a good time for that…
b) LAREDO! Jealous. Wayyy jealous.
c) I tagged you on my blog! and I also answered to your tweet about a fall marathon. How about getting your ducks in line to come to MINNEAPOLIS for Twin Cities?! Known as the “most beautiful urban marathon”.. and I can attest. It is. I’ll even join you
awwww you’ve got so much coming up
duke sounds super fun and like such a partaaay! i love that you’re gonna meet up with bloggie friends too! can’t wait to hear all about it.
i hope hope hopeee you get a call from a recruiter soon girl!
I am awful at running by feel. Sometimes I think I am going fast and I am slower than normal, other times I think I am going slow and I am going fast!
Good luck with the job hunting. If you are planning any runs when you are in NC let me know!!
Your motivation will come back soon definitely. Good for you for calling a hospital too! That’s a big step, not just a baby one. Have fun with all of your traveling, I’m jealous you’ll be able to run [comfortably] in shorts outside! I only have a couple real life friends who know about the blog, but none of my really close friends!
Are there dance floors in Laredo?
Sounds like good times ahead.
I “run by feel” alll the time, it usually means I’m running a Lot faster than I think….but not always “too” fast for training purposes. I enjoy my LRs a lot more when I hide the Garmin under my jacket sleeve and just GO.
Uh, Laredo?! You’re spot-on with the description (WAY close to the border, haha), so *yes* at least it should be warm!!
roomie. confession: i found your blog
you have friends here? can i be friends with them? i like friends.
Girl, call that second hopital. You need to call that second hospital.
how slow do you go on your slow days? there is a lot of truth to the fact that once you get to a certain point, you HAVE to slow down in order to recover. but i tend to think that point varies for a lot of people. (I tend to lean towards Jack Daniels on his thoughts on effort and heart rate, but that’s another story.)
since we’re similar in terms of goal pace: i don’t run particularly high mileage (i maybe peak in the mid 60s, though i’d like to get over 70 in march) and a LOT of its…um….slow. like, really slow. like over 9 minutes slow. while a lot of it is weather dependent/more a function of me being an idiot, i tend to do better when i’m in the 50-60 range with a lot of slow stuff. Of course, this time of year when its forced upon me (seriously, NONE of our sidewalks are clear)? I get sick of it. But I’ve never had a problem running slow, and particularly when i’m running more miles. ;p
and terms of goal? for the record, i think the fastest long run i’ve done was 22 @ like…8:15 pace, which still got me under 3:23 at Boston last year (and i ran the second half at sub 3:20 pace, just not the first…heh. ) So I think you’re well on your way.
Call the second hospital! I agree with XC^2! You owe it to yourself to run fast, work happy, and BAKE DELICIOUS THINGS (for me to shove in my mouth).
You’re so fast! Holy crap, I am a snail compared to you!
Okay, I’ll fill you in one a little secret…the key to running faster in a long distance race (like a half-marathon, marathon) is NOT to think about how fast you are running for the sum total of all the miles. Instead, focus on running faster for a mile or two at a time and focusing on just that…eventually, it will build up and you’ll be suprised at the results!
Even now, if I hear someone else running my PR time, my first instinct is like, wow, that guy is pretty fast…then I have to catch myself and think…wait a minute, that’s ME!
Good luck with your job search, your running and all your fun adventures coming up!