Competitive Spirit

I have always been a competitive person.  I attribute that not only to my red headed gene but to growing up in a house full of brothers.  Having a competitive drive has helped me a lot in my running over the years and has given me purpose in my running.  Without feeling a personal competitveness I probably wouldn't try very hard to become faster and faster with each passing year.  I am not just competitive with myself though.  When I ran cross country and track and field in school it was just part of it all to be competitive with other runners.  There was always a time to beat and a record to break.  It is amazing how quickly that competitive spirit with others left me as I left high school.  I think part of that was because I was a little burned out and I wanted to discover a desire for running that didn't involve times and places.  That only took me so far because I am not one of those runners that just goes out to run just to run.  I need a purpose and a goal to keep me motivated and focused.  That being said, my last speed workout on April 18th was motivated by a competitive drive to aim for times that were competitive with my fellow runners out there.  It was a tough workout but in the end I am happy with my times and know that I have it in me to run faster.  In an effort to really try and get faster I know I need to run with other runners who are faster than I am.  I was finally able to rearrange some things in my schedule so that I can head up to Tokyo twice a month to run a track workout with the Nanban Rengo running club headed by my good friend and running mentor.  The boys have begged that I take them with me so once a month they will tag along and get experience on the track.  We will all start next week and I am so excited.   Hopefully traveling all the way up to Tokyo on the train and then pushing myself won't completely wipe me out. We will see I guess.  The boys and I will also be taking tennis lessons once a week starting next week as well.  Mike has already been taking lessons and he loves it.  I am excited to add some cross training and learn how to really play tennis.  I am really not good at tennis but hopefully with some lessons I can go from sucky to ok. 

Here are the last couple of weeks of track workouts (not run on a track but rather marked around the gym and field on our base so all numbers could potentially be off by a second or two when run around a real track):


March 28, 2012

1200, 1200, 800, 800, 400, 400

1200 - 4:45 (6:20 min/mile)
1200 - 4:44 (6:18 min/mile)
800 - 2:58 (5:56 min/mile)
800 - 3:03 (6:06 min/mile)
400 - 1:23 (5:32 min/mile)
400 - 1:23 (5:32 min/mile)



April 4, 2012

400, 600, 800, 1200, 800, 600, 400

400 - 1:21 (5:24 min/mile)
600 - 2:12 (5:47 min/mile )
800 - 3:01 (6:02 min/mile)
1200 - 4:36 (6:08 min/mile)
800 - 3:02 (6:04 min/mile)
600 - 2:15 (5:55 min/mile)
400 - 1:21 (5:24 min/mile)



April 18, 2012 

6 x 800

800 - 2:55 (5:50 min/mile)
800 - 2:52 (5:44 min/mile)
800 - 2:52 (5:44 min/mile)
800 - 2:52 (5:44 min/mile)
800 - 2:56 (5:52 min/mile)
800 - 2:54 (5:48 min/mile)