I’m just about as slow as a New York City bus in the middle of a transit strike.
I was running slower than 10 minute miles at that point.
Iwanted to go faster.
This was partially due to impatience and wanting to “get my runs over with.”
So I went to see training guru,Neil Cook, atAsphalt Greenon the Upper East Side.
He’s a seasoned multi-sport coach with more than 45 years of commitment.
His most striking characteristics are lightning bolt tattoos that run up his calves.
Neil has an approach and demeanor that simply makes you feel calm.
I told him my goals and he looked at me puzzled and scratched his head.
“Why do you feel this need to have the most speed?
you gotta think about why you REALLY want to run.”
I quickly got the message and my desire to be a speed demon fell to the background.
Running is something I give a shot to do for enjoyment.
I try not to make it a task.
However my times have improved to usually running about 9:45 miles….and sometimes between 9:20 and 9:30 miles.
And I’ve been feeling pretty good about my times.
But recently I ran my WORST TIME EVER on a 16-mile training run.
Every time I looked at my sport watch the times were just abysmal….and kind of deflating.
I hovered between a 10:52 and an 11:30 pace.
Last week I finished 15 miles at a 9:52 pace.
Like I said, I’m not running for the speed.
But improving is always nice, and this is a HUGE difference.
I ran shorter four-mile runs at an average of 9:37 this week.
But today I wasn’t really running in much pain at all.
No matter how much I tried toimprove my speed, I just couldn’t do it.
The marathon isn’t far away now.
After a few days of rest my running times seemed back to normal.
Check out the slide-show to see the difference!
Kafi Drexel is the Health & Fitness Reporter for NY1 News in New York City.
