The Will to Win

Well this morning I got up early to do my long run.  15.1 miles was what I had scheduled myself to run. About a mile longer than last Saturday's run.  So last night I set my alarm for 5:59 AM.  Would have set it for earlier but didn't hit the sack till 10:20 PM last night.  Temperature this morning when I got up was in the mid 70s.  Plenty warm so I didn't bother with a shirt.  Had a small glass of ice cold water then headed out the door.  Shorts, shades, shoes, socks, watch and a small paper towel, (to wipe my brow). (It's a challenge to keep the sweat off my sunglasses.)  My goal pace was a few seconds under 8 minutes a mile.  Eight times 15 being 120 or exactly two hours so I had an easy remember time to beat.   (My marathon goal pace is 7:26, so my long runs are 30 seconds over that.  I took that from the FIRST (Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training) plan's guidance on the long run.)  At five miles, and at eight miles I seemed to be on track.  (I don't have a GPS device so I was going on what I could remember from my map www.mapmyrun.com).  After 12 miles or so I was getting a bit thirsty and a bit tired.  By 13 or so miles I was feeling almost completely exhausted.   I started debating whether to walk or not.  I negotiated with myself that I would allow my tired body to walk a little once I got to 21st street (several blocks away at that point).  So when I finally reached the corner to turn and go west on 21st street I let myself walk.  After about half a block, I felt a little better so I started running.  After running another block I told myself that I would walk a little more once I got to 22nd St.  Made it to 22nd street and walked almost all of that short block before turning on Gatewood St.and  jogging up the hill.  I trotted around the corner then ran downhill to my house.  Man, I was beat.  Next time I will take some water or hide a bottle somewhere on the route the night before.  It was about 77 or 78 degrees when I finished at 8:15 AM. I realize that 78 degrees is not particularly hot, but try running in it for two hours at a fairly high level of exertion.  Ugh. 

As a result of the heat and weariness I decided look at hourly overnight temperatures.  Seems this time of year here in Oklahoma, it is coolest from about 5 AM to 6 AM.   Well if I want to enjoy those slightly cooler temps I need to get up earlier, which in turn means I need to go to bed earlier.  So tonight I set my calendar on my ipod touch to remind me to go to bed.   Scheduled bed time for 9:45 with an alert 30 minutes before.  Going to start out with getting up at 5:45 AM, then after a few days move up a little to 5:40 and then 5:30.  For me, I have to get something close to eight hours sleep or I am tired the next day.  So getting up at 5:30 AM would mean going to bed at 9:30.   Won't do much for my social life (not that I have much of a social life).  But if I want to run a 3:15 marathon I have to make some sacrifices.  Hence today's title "The will to win".  And the will to win is nothing without the will to prepare to win. See the following quotations: "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win".-Bobby Knight  "Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."-Vince Lombardi  "The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital."-Joe Paterno.  "It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference."-Bear Bryant.