Monday, February 04, 2008

The 8 minute mile

As athletes, and as people, we tend to build walls around ourselves. In one hand, the walls offer a sense of security. On the other hand they put up finite barriers for ourselves that require immense emotional strength to topple down. One of my walls was the 8 minute mile.

Growing up I was never a runner. In fact, I hated running. I had terrible eczema as a kid and most of the time my feet were covered in open sores. Needless to say, swimming was much more my thing. As I grew out of the eczema I slowly started jogging. I was never speedy, but I would occasionally test myself to see how fast I could run a mile. Up until I was 27 the fastest I ever ran a single mile was 8:00... and I just about threw up afterwards. The 8 minute mile became my fortress. A very wide and torturous moat separated me from miles that began with 7.

When I started triathlon training a few years ago I ran more. And occasionally in a race I would run a sub-8 mile. The first time was in a 5-miler in 2006. Then the next time wasn't until my 5k in December. And don't think I ever ran faster than that in training. No way.

Coming off my knee injury this year I ran with unwavering consistency. Almost every single day for 2 months. But every run was short, and every run was slow. I knew I needed to build up a really good base before I tested things out with speedwork.

2 weeks ago today I did my first Paulo run. In it was 20 minutes at 7:30 pace. 20 minutes! It was the most mentally draining workout I have ever done. Including 8-9 hour Ironman bricks. It took every ounce of strength I had not to decrease the speed on the treadmill. Afterwards I was completely spent.

Today was my third attempt at the dreaded zone 4 workout. And you know what? It was easy. I finished the interval and wanted to keep going. Have I gotten that much faster in 2 weeks? I highly doubt it. I think the whole trick was breaking down the mental barrier that I had around that elusive pace. What it boils down to is this: If you think you can't do it- you're right. If you think you can do it- you're right. It's all about controlling your attitude and breaking down the walls that you build around yourself. Sure, they're safe and comfortable. But don't you want to see what's on the other side?

10 comments:

khai said...

Nicely done!

I just hope you weren't smiling... You know hoe Paulo feels about smiling...

Danielle in Iowa in Ireland said...

Wow, nice job! I personally had the mental barrier against running more than 6 miles. I ran regularly for five years before I ever ran more than 6!

Unknown said...

Way to go Jodi! People, watch out for this speedster because she'll be huntin you down in a future race! Keep it up!!!

Wes said...

For me, the mental barrier was the walk break... 90% of the battle is mental! :-)

Bob Almighty said...

Yay Jodi...next on the agenda...sub-6 miles for the marathon.

Unknown said...

Great job! Sounds like some wonderful progress to me. Keep it up!

B Bop said...

Awesome Jodi!! I suppose it is our mind that controls our bodies after all, eh.

The Cruise Director said...

I stumbled on to your blog from a friend of a friend's blog. I think it is that whole small world 6 degrees of separation thing. Anyway, I just want to say how impressive it is that you work so hard in your profession and yet are so dedicated to your training. Kudos to you! Good luck this season.

Al said...

With the run coming along, you'll be a triathlon force to reckoned with...

Kolla said...

You give me hope!! I always thought I was a hopeless running case until a run in with a DVT last year. Now I'm running better than ever before, but a 9 minute mile is still huge for me. And you are so right, it's all in my head. Body can do it, but mind isn't ready....