5K -- are you sandbagging?

I ran a 5K today.   Not a sanctioned one, but one in my gym, on the treadmill.

I've never run that far before.  Getting there wasn't easy.   But it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

A few months ago, I decided I wanted to run a 5K.  Or at least, be able to run a 5K.  I've never been much of a runner, and I hate the gym.  But I'm not as young as I was, and cardio is more important than it used to be.

I used the Couch to 5K program as a barometer to make sure I was pushing myself.  It was hard.  I gave up a few times.  I started over.  Tried again. Failed.   Mainly, I failed because I didn't keep up with it.  Something always got in the way.  Something more fun than running.

This month, I made the real push to finish it.  I watched and was amazed as I started breaking through walls that I previously thought were unbreakable. I could run a full mile, then two.  For once, it was my legs failing me and not my lungs. It felt good.  I knew I was succeeding and I knew I was pushing my body as hard as I could.

Then came yesterday.  It was a 25 minute run, the longest I'd ever run in my life.  I really wasn't sure I could do it.  After about 10 minutes of running, I backed the treadmill down a bit and run at a slower pace.  I was exhausted and there was still so much running to do.  I needed to conserve myself.  I wasn't mistaken, the workout was brutal.  I was positive I was pushing myself.  I was fucking tired.  Toward the end, a particularly inspiring song came on the iPod and I decided to pick up the pace.  I decided, for no good reason, to match the guy next to me.  He wasn't running super fast, but he was running faster than I'd run in a long time.

I don't know what I thought.  I really was beyond thinking at that point.  But I can tell you what I found.  Not only could I run at that pace -- after 20 minutes of running -- but it wasn't hard.  At least, no harder than I'd already been working.

Well, shit.

Today I went to the gym, cranked it up past the speed I'd finished my run at yesterday ... and banged out my 5K.  Faster than I've ever run before.  Further than I've run in a long time.  I was beat, but after a few minutes, fully recovered.  All this time I'd been sandbagging myself and couldn't even see it.  

Wednesday will be further and faster.  Friday will be even further and faster than that.  How fast can I be?  How far can I go?   I don't know, but I'm going to find out.