I'm Going to Beat Apolo Anton Ohno

So Katie asked me the other day how I was feeling about my upcoming half marathon, and I have to admit that I had a pretty disheartening answer.  I told her that the race had become somewhat of an inconvenience.  I couldn't believe that something that I had worked so hard for, paid good money to do, and saw as a true challenge to my fitness had become an inconvenience, but the truth was that it felt that way.

My training had come to a bit of a roadblock due to my nagging back injury.  The chiropractic care has been critical to my recovery, but I have been nursing things along as my back still gets sore and tired everyday.  But prior to injuring my back I had completed a 12 mile run, so I felt as though I could finish the race even if I had to take it slow.  There in lies some of the problem.  I do not want to just finish the race.  I would like to burn it up. But again I hadn't really set any sort of time goals other than finishing in less than 2 hours, hoping for 1:45, and fascinating about 1:35.

What does any of this have to with Olympic Gold Medalist Apolo Anton Ohno?  Simple, I have decided I am going to beat this Olympian at his own game.  No, not short track speed skating!  This guy would have me eating so much shaved ice I would look like snowcone.  However, Ohno has shaken up his training a bit and committed to running this year's New York Marathon.  Again, I will not be committing to any such distance, but in preparation for his marathon, Ohno recently ran in the Chicago Half Marathon on Sept. 11.  The world class athlete finished 13.1 miles in 1:40:59, a very respectable time, and in the process has given me enthusiasm for my own race again.

I am going to beat Apolo Anton Ohno's half marathon time of 1:40:59.  That means that I will have to average a mile every 7:42 for 13.1 miles.  With my new-found enthusiasm I went out for a 5-mile run this morning.  I ran 5 miles in 36:25; that's 7:17 per mile!  I felt pumped!  It was tough, but I feel great this afternoon.  I have all the confidence in the world that I can do this! You're goin' down, Ohno!