So it has been just a little over a year since I started running. Time flies when you're... running... for hours.... every... single... day...
Anyway, this weekend will be my first experience with re-running a race. Up until this point, every race has been a new challenge, new location, new scenery, and most have been an immediate PR for that distance. This will be the first time I will be face with a true shot at improvement.
I ran the Move it Memphis 10k last year and it was UH-MAZE-ING. I kicked ass. I ran so fast, finishing in 54 minutes, which is a 9 minute pace. Cheay. I felt like a bazillion bucks. I didn't hurt. I didn't struggle. I was like a little track star. You would have never guessed I was a complete novice to this experience.
So here it is. 1 year later. You would think that I would be in super awesome killer shape and 100% ready to tackle this race once again and blast my previous time out of the water. Ehhhhhh notsomuch. Due to my... "hiatus" during the months of November and December, and my less-than-epic return to training in January, let's just say I am not where I had hoped I would be at this point in my running career.
I can't help but set the bar high for this race and have certain expectations. However, those expectations may be somewhat unrealistic. And that is hard to face. There is a very good chance that I will not do as well as I did last year. Which sucks. A lot. This aspect of running is very new to me, and something I really did not anticipate. While I am totally excited for this race, I am also worried I may not live up to my own expectations. Sad face.
How do you handle race rematches? What do you do to cope with the pressures of gaining a PR?
