Running faster and stronger

When I started running, about 10 years ago, I was very slow. It wasn't until 1999 that I ran a 5K all the way through and I think it was at a 12+ minute pace. Moving forward, my first marathon in 2001, was run in about 6:20. From there I made steady increases in speed with my best time in a marathon in 2003 at 5:20...yes, a significant improvement, but still right at a 12 minute pace overall.

I took an almost 5 year break from running in total from 2004 to 2009 to have my two boys. During that time, I ran here and there but never really acheived any regular training with running. Once the baby was older, I was able to resume running early in 2009 and have run several half marathons and most recently the Santa Barbara marathon in December via TNT.

I am not sure what has happened with me, and I am not going to question it, but I am significantly faster now and in much better running shape than all the other seasons before. Of course, running speed is all relative. I am still at most a back of the middle packer, but I guess having two kids and aging 5 years has it's advantages. I have no idea why, maybe it is just consistency in training, but I feel great and I am running really well. I finished the SB marathon with a personal record of 4:40 which is FORTY minutes faster than my best marathon. I felt great the whole time and could have pushed myself to go a little faster, but I wanted to be conservative. I also set PRs for myself in my half marathons and 10Ks that I have run this year. My recovery from runs is also much improved. I was obviously tired after the marathon, but I recovered quickly from the race.

Therefore, I am going to continue to focus on working on my speed this season. I also really love trail running, but I have never had the opportunity to do much of it. I am excited that there is a ultramarathon team this season with TNT, the very first one, that will be almost all trail running. Yes, the event is an Ultramarathon and it will cover 31 miles, but I feel confident that with the proper training I can be ready for it. I think I am really going to improve speed and strength this season.