Tuesday, April 13, 2010

How do I know if I'm ready?

I’ve been training specifically for this 24 hour run for the last six months. Week after week and month after month I’ve torn the muscles down so they will rebuild stronger. Much of the last two month I’ve felt physically drained of energy due to the hours of exercise every day. The legs have never felt completely recovered and as a result I’ve never really known what kind of shape I’m in. After each long test run I’ve asked the question, “How much better would I have run if I weren’t so tired?” How do I know if the training is working? How do I know if I am going to be ready on April 22nd? I guess I just have to believe in the training. I don’t write up a specific training plan but I do keep a log of what I’ve done. The training log is what tells me if I’ve put in the work that is necessary and gives me the confidence that it will all come together. Everyday I look in the mirror and ask myself, have I done enough? Have I trained correctly? Will I be ready? Several weeks ago I began to taper down the miles and the legs have slowly begun to feel better. My pace has become quicker and the miles seemed to fly by with ease. With two weeks to go rest days became more important than the run days. The legs have now had time to recover and the rewards of months of hard work are beginning to show. Today was a bittersweet day. Today I did my last workout before the 24-hour run. From the first steps I knew it was going to be a good run. The asphalt felt soft under my feet and the long quick stride felt effortless. My breathing was shallow and my heart rate was low. As I made the turn for home I continued to increase the pace only to find I still had another gear left. Feeling good and knowing this would be my final run I continued to pushed the pace faster and faster each of the remaining miles home. Having a run like the one I had today was the perfect way to finish off my training. Lance Armstrong has described it as “no chain” meaning he sometimes feels like there is no chain on his bike and he can spin the pedals as fast as he wants without tiring. That’s how I felt today. “No chain.” So there it is. The work is done. There is nothing more I can do to prepare other than rest. I’ve put everything I have into the training for this run and after today I have to believe… I’m ready! Greg Bomhoff Ready to Go the Distance! ~ Greg Bomhoff