Winning mentality

I'm racing again tomorrow, and I'm running for second place. The Charlottesville 10-Miler starts at 7:15 AM, and I found out yesterday afternoon that my RMR teammate Sean Keveren is running after a disappointing race in last weekend's US 15K Championship at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville. Sean's presence in the race won't really have an impact on me, as he will run away from me like I am standing still in the first 100 meters. I'm realistic about my abilities and know that running after him would be a mistake I'd pay for dearly within the first 10 minutes of the race. Running for second place is mentally so much different than running for first. There is so less pressure, even if you're doing the exact same thing. I'd been looking forward to trying to win the race, but oh well. It's not that important anyway. The real race is 31 days away.

Training for Boston is going well. Last week I ran the highest weekly mileage of my life, and I've averaged over 92 miles per week for the last 4 weeks. I plan to be above 90 again this week and next week before I start tapering. I'm exhausted and my legs are sore after hard workouts and long runs, but I still feel pretty good. Hopefully tomorrow's race still serves as a confidence booster, despite the fact that my undefeated streak of 2015 will come to an end. Now there is less pressure on me to win in Boston to keep the streak alive...