As soon as I was able to run, I wanted to run faster.
Im no Olympian, but Im fast enough to occasionally win age group medals at local races.
But first, I want to be clear about something: itdoesnt actually matter how slow you run.
At any speed, there will always be someone faster than you and someone slower than you.
I knew that, even at the beginning, but I still wanted to be better thanmyself.
I wanted to improve.
And for a while, I almost thought that was impossible.
I didnt play sports as a kid.
I hated gym class.
There were different categories for the faster kidsunder eight minutes, and so on.
I was in the slowest group: more than ten minutes.
I dont even know how much more.
All I knew was, I had failed that test.
I figured I was destined to be a slow runner.
Or better yet, a non-runner.
I was gaining endurance and strength, and I liked it.
One specific road, that is.
Running was an off-and-on part of my life for years after that.
I Changed Up My Routine
Why wasnt I getting faster?
It took me years to realize that I was making a big mistake in my training.
All this time, Id been doing the exact same running workout.
I was essentially racing a 5K, four times a week, without any variation.
There were no easy days, no strength-building intervals, and no long runs.
So I started switching up my program.
That year I entered my first race, a 10K.
In my second race, a 5K, I ran the first mile in just 9:17.
Running was my go-to for extra endurance practice, and I was also hitting the gym on the regular.
I did alotof squats.
I got stronger and stronger, but I wasnt really thinking about my running speed.
Then, in the spring, my gym buddy announced that she wanted to run a 5K.
Sure, I said, Ill do one with you.
That 5K turned out to be my fastestever, the record that I still dream of beating.
A lot of good things came together that day: It was cold, whichactually helps performance.
I didnt give myself a goal pace, but just ran by feel.
I finished in 25:20.
My jaw dropped when I saw the results.
I had earned a medal.
Heres how awards work at this throw in of race.
The first three men across the finish line get overall awards, and so do the first three women.
Then everybody else is ranked within age groups, usually with a five or ten year spread.
There were 49 of us.
Was I…afast runner?
The only thing I liked about marathon training was the strength workout day.
That made me wonder: was it possible to try a race that was even shorter than a 5K?
I signed up for a 2K, a distance thats about 1.2 miles.
The result was another first place medal.
And then, a month later, I twisted my knee at roller derby practice and tore myACL.
That led to a surgery with months of recovery time.
I hung up my sneakers.
I Didnt Give Up
Its been almost two years since my surgery.
And shortly after that, I got pregnant.
Iverun while pregnant before, but its no fun.
I sat this one out.
This wasnt my first setback, either.
During the entire journey Ive described here, Ive taken lots of breaks from running.
That means Ive made alotof comebacks.
I earned that 5K medal after I had my first kid.
I earned the 2K medal after my second kid.
Now Iknowwhat I need to do to improve.
Ive done it many times, after all.
First I make exercise a habit.
I also revisit my goals to ensure Im still headed toward something I enjoy.
Right now, Im trying to get back to that fast time I ran in the 2K.
I started by mixing walking and running, phasing out the walking as I got stronger.
Basically, I fast-forwarded through Couch to 5K.
My time then, at the beginning of this summer, was an 8:58 mile.
(My mile pace in the 2K, the time Im trying to beat, was 7:37.)
Illustration by Sam Woolley.
