Max Out.

 I am now on the verge of completing some of my old training sessions as in the first ones that I had done after a few weeks off due to an holiday or something. I mention this as the little voice of doubt has been shouting its mouth off again inside my head, nearly all the data I am using at the moment is taken from my training on the treadmill and the voice of doubt was querying whether if I would be as fast on the road. Now that I am closing in on some of my old training sessions I have plenty of results to compare and cross reference with how it matched up on the road. It makes it even easier when I see in my training logs the words "Max out". As that defines that it was impossible to do any better at that time so if I can beat a "Max Out" session then I know I have got to be better than at that given time.

   My definition of "max out"
   
The long three minutes. After completing a set number of intervals at three minutes long with a short rest in between I just about make it to my final repetition. Targer another three minutes way above my 5k pace, how the hell I have managed to complete the ones before hand is a complete mystery but here it is at last the final rep. Everything starts off well but then at fifty seconds I realise that I can't make it, just hold on and make it to half way you wimp goes racing through my mind. Half way my leg muscles are twitching and trying to think of cramping up, I'm breathing hard and struggling but the breathing is under control. I will now be pleased to make it to the two minute mark, that would be an excellent effort. Two minutes pass and now there is no option, it has got to be three minutes or why bother training at all. Ten seconds to go and my running form has deserted me but all the pain is going to end in ten seconds so dig deep. I'm going to do this, but at the speed of lighting the voice of I must be a winner demands another ten seconds of this excruciating pain that I have gotten myself into. I just can't believe how long ten seconds can be that is until the voice pipes up demanding another ten seconds just as I'm finishing, please end this suffering another voice begs within. If the legs go now then let it be so, I don't care , I'm past caring, all because  I know I will of trained to Max out. Then bang the pain stops as my time is completed, I slow down to a gentle jog. My breathing is totally out of control with fast shorts breaths, my legs are wobbly but yet stiff. Within a few seconds I gain control of my breathing with nice big steady long breaths, ohhhh that feels good and my legs have gone in autopilot and plod along nicely. And finally the little voice of doubt can go and get lost for at least another week.