Kicking it Up a Notch: Does Your Body Have a Speed Limit?

Weight: Don't know. I hadn't planned a challenge for today, so I didn't weigh-in this morning. And I NEVER weigh myself in the evening.
Body Fat: 18.45% (That's in the athletic range for a 43-year-old woman--so I'm good with that. I just want to keep toning/building strength).
Breakfast: Smoothie with hemp protein, chia seeds, kale, bananas, unsweetened almond milk, peanut butter and raw cocoa powder.
Lunch: Left-over concoction of corn, zucchini, peppers and onions
Snack: Spicy dill pickles with vegan cheese (okay, then I did splurge on two real cheese squares. The spicy pickles got the better of me).
Dinner: Cooking right now--rice and beans.
Challenge: 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes (continuing my goal of running a 5k in sub 8-minute miles)

I didn't actually set out to do a challenge today. But we missed our sprint workout on Monday, and I was feeling the need to challenge myself this evening (which is rare. I normally feel the need to challenge myself in the morning--not the evening).

So I shot an email to the spouse to see if he would meet me at the track. The goal (after meeting the one mile challenge) was to do 1.5 miles in under 8-minute miles. In other words, a mile and a half in under 12 minutes.

Accomplished! 1.5 miles in 11:24--a 7:36 minute pace! (The proof: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/370702761) This is, by far, the fastest I have ever run a mile and a half. I could tell by the vomit that was creeping up my throat during the last lap. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of this time. But I can also tell you: this was all I had in me. No way could I have kept it up for another mile and a half.  But I still have some time to meet my New Year's Resolution.

All this focus on pace has brought a question to mind--and I would love to hear some input from my other runner friends. Does your body have a speed limit (and it seems obvious that it does at some point)? And, how do you know when you've reached it?

I've gone from running 12-minute miles to closing in on 8-minute miles. When I hit my 8-minute goal, do I keep pushing? How fast is fast enough? How fast can my body go if I really push it?

Do you feel you have a speed limit? Have you hit it yet? Do you want to hit it? Do you want to know how fast your body is capable of going?



Tomorrow's challenge is not quite so physical, but a challenge for me nonetheless--my first weekly yoga class. My goal is to get through the class and enjoy it!