Becoming the person I don't want to be.

It seems like my last post was a little too nonchalant regarding the distance. I think about it now and it almost has a 'ho hum' ring to it.

I don't want it to come across that way. I don't want me to come across as someone who doesn't respect a marathon, half-marathon, or any shorter distance. I do, I just prefer 10-milers and half-marathons on up. That's just me. It's not that I'm particularly fast or good, I just enjoy that amount of time out on the trails or road.

I remember running my first 50K back in March of 2003. There was a section where the runners are in an open field and another runner struck up a conversation with me. He had mentioned how he had just done a 100k overseas, a marathon the week before that, a 50-miler before that, and at least a marathon every weekend.

I was in awe. I didn't realize people did that, or that they could do that. He seemed so nonchalant about it, too, like it was just another way to spend his weekend.

I have become that person.

It's not that I intended to do it.. it just.. happened.

I will be back at that 50k again later this month for the 5th time. I might be that person chatting it up about how this race is the second of three 50ks in 5 weeks and how I'm training for a 100-miler, etc. But I don't want it to come off as 'ho-hum'. I've learned a lot from the random people I've met during races, but I can't forget about where I started from and the people I met at the local 5K or 8K race.

Maybe someday I'll return.

I was running a few mile repeats on the track the other night. Nothing particularly fast, but it got me thinking how fast I could run a stand-alone mile.. flat out. This was something similar to last year when I was lifting a few days before a big race and wondered how much I could max out on the bench press. That wasn't a smart idea, but the mile got the mental juices flowing.

Sure, I'll try it again soon, but I know I won't be able to get my time down as far as I'd like to while training for what I am. Maybe after the 100 I'll work on that mile. Maybe after the 100 I'll work on getting that 5K from 26 minutes down to 24:xx. Maybe I'll try that bench press again, but build up to it over the course of a few weeks instead of over the course of a few sets in one day (see... not smart).

But for now, I'm that person.