Someone push the reset button

This week I needed to reset. 

I have been needing to reset myself to find a few things I felt like I was losing.

Speed and Drive

After successfully completing my A goal in April of running my first trail 50 miler HERE at the Bull Run Run I began to look towards my next goal and the steps I'd need to get me there successfully HERE.  I had my eyes set on the Laurel Highlands Ultra a little 77 mile jaunt through the woods. 

HOWEVER, my family (READ: Hubbs) didn't feel that this was THE year to make the push towards another goal simply because I had been successful so early in 2011.  Due to the fact that I belong to a family and they all have feelings and desires too, I agreed that racing would go on the "back burner" and family fun would be the main event over the summer.

Well, summer is over and running uncharacteristically has been about training this week. 

Gone are the stress melting morning runs in the fog.  Forget about easy 9 minute miles pushing the jogging stroller.  Over are the weeks of less than 50 miles.  Don't even mention stopping during a run to visit with a neighbor.  This week has been spent on the new-to-me treadmill, dripping through 10+ mile runs every night this week.

and I am so glad they are almost done!

But I am so happy that I did them. 

The loss of a few evenings outside is well worth the reset that these runs provided for me. 

When I am running simply for the joy of running I sometimes find that I will allow my "normal" pace to slow as the weeks pass if I don't force myself to run a reset run.  Usually these happen when Biking Sherpa is along and she is chatting through an issue, we some times unknowingly put in speedy paces and Voila' my pace will reset.  This summer with a lack of Biking Sherpa runs my pace slowly headed south and for a little while I was okay with that.

NOT ANYMORE

This week I got serious again.  I don't have any smiling photos of my runs this week because there weren't any.  I don't have cute outfits or LBM's adorable face because that wasn't part of my runs this week.

And I figured I spare you the photos of the disgustingly drenched with sweat version of me.

If you follow me on Daily Mile you know that by the middle of the week I thought my 50 miles in 5 days was a stupid idea.  But you also would know that after a few days of putting in a max pace of sub 7s, I was able to run low 7s much easier and 8 minute miles felt conversational! 

I look forward to getting in some trail miles this weekend to see where my pace is at running off road.  While I my trail paces will be slower than treadmill paces, I know that my RESET will carry over to my offroad paces.  And this week's efforts will result in easier more enjoyable running as I run my way closer to my fall races.

So far registered for...

Fire On The Mountain Trail 50k - October 30th

Stone Mill Trail 50 miler - November 19th

How do you RESET your pace and drive?