The "What Ifs"

The semester ended today (imagine something like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing a Hallelujah Chorus...THAT would pretty much sum up my reaction).

You could probably tell by the very small number of posts since school started in September that I was a very, very, very busy girl. It couldn't possibly have been that I'd run out of things to chat about. Yeah...like THAT would ever happen.

But being busy? Yes, that I was... So though I was too busy to write, and far too often to busy to even run, I still managed to run a 1/2 marathon with Walter and the herd in October and our favorite Shelter Island 5K in November.

But I've been holding out on you. The thing that I really haven't written about is how even though I've done minimal training this fall, for some reason, somehow, in some way, I'm starting to get (dare I say it?)...

Faster (shhhhhhh don't tell anyone...)

I'm not much faster mind you, and compared to some of you, I'm still a downright turtle, but it's becoming apparent to me that my comfortable long run pace is now somewhere int the 10:30 - 10:45 pace range and my long-slow-run pace is around 11:00 to 11:30.

Yep, I am a veritable speed-demon. 

When I was doing speed intervals on the 'mill the other morning, I ramped up the top pace was 7mph (8:45 pace) and the recovery pace was (5.6 mph) (10:30 pace)...and the top pace wasn't even all that difficult.

In short, I ran fast (for me) and I didn't go flying off the 'mill like a Biggest Loser contestant in week one (BTW...that's gotta hurt). 

But this marginal success in getting faster does lead me into some rather dangerous thinking about the  "what ifs..."

• What if I could run a 5K at a 9 minute pace 
• What if I trained and could run a 1/2 marathon at a 10:30 pace
• What if I trained and could run another marathon in under five hours (now that is some really crazy talk), but I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind.

Now "what ifs" and goals aren't bad mind you, but I was somewhere near this place two years ago where I started gaining some speed. Two years ago, I got hurt...the first time, some big huge hip contusion (I do like saying that word) that happened in a simple training run (only weeks before the Carlsbad 5000, which I stupidly ran anyway, which caused a nearly one year long battle with PF...which continues to this day)

So, I've spent a LOT of time in the last two years either being hurt, or recovering from being hurt, or doing something foolish that would ensure that I would soon be hurt again.

But, I really don't want to go into this round of the SDTC Rockin' and Runnin' program with an injury again (nor do I want to get injured in the third week again), so I do need to be smart about this.

I do have such lofty goals, don't I?

In other news...The annual Heffer Holiday Bash was Wednesday night.

Elsie, Betty, Mik and I each chose four of our favorite running songs and put them on a CD with an invite for everyone to join us for a run this year.

 Clearly, the most photographed heffer of the evening was our newest heffer, Abbey...

Mona and Abbey

Momma and Abbey

Abbey's Mommy (Clarence) and Alberta and (of course) Abbey (who was taking a little nap)

Me and my fave snuggle baby

"Aw mom...the party's just started...I'm not ready to go home yet!"

 So...the semester is over. I am woefully behind on holiday plans. I am looking forward to writing more soon about my running goals and other fun stuff. This blog has been far too boring recently!