On May 13th I run 38:41 at the Fuji-Susono 10k, bettering my time from a year ago by over 30 seconds, and even improving on my time from 2-years ago by 6 seconds.
A 6 second improvement may not sound like much, but I am encouraged just to be running at the same level as in 2016, after 19 months of compromised training and races.
I figure that on a flatter course this effort would be roughly a couple minutes faster – 3 minute adjustment on the 4k of climbing offset by the minute or so I gained on the downhill.
And yesterday I run 17:48 at a 5k time trial on the track. The organizers provided pacers a minute apart, and I chose to stay with the18-minute pace guy. I diligently stayed right behind the pace guy every step until the final lap when I suddenly found the strength to run a 74 second 400 meters.
As far as I am concerned at this point, I set my “Personal Bests” this month. I deem these times my "personal bests” since they are my best races in the last 2 years.
Anything prior to May 2016 is not worth thinking about. I am trying to live in the present. Early 2016 is long lost and forgotten back in the distant mists of time. Moreover from a philosophical perspective the person that competed in those events back in 2015, 2014 and earlier has less and less connection to my current self and has begun to seem like a different person altogether.
At my advanced age it becomes discouraging if I dwell on times from the distant past.
I managed to win this keen silver medal too
