A few weeks back, Laurie Canning lined up to run the Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, Virginia, just as she had 10 times before. This time, the race would serve as the place where she’d attempt to break the 50-minute barrier.

Health - Injuries Sub-30 Club, Canning spends lots of time cheering for others—encouraging us to do what we can, to enjoy our victories, to fight through our struggles, and to embrace all of the joys that come from running.

We didn’t get much of a chance to virtually cheer her on, because she kept her sub-50 goal a secret to most people. With a 10K PR of 53 minutes, Canning spent months working to dip below the five-oh—incorporating lots of speed, strength, and lung-burners that came in the form of swimming laps without taking a breath. Here’s how the race shook out—with lots of smart lessons along the way.

Why sub-50? Why was it an important goal for you? 
It was completely out of my comfort zone—like on another planet out of my comfort zone. I couldn't even speak it out loud, but a tiny, tiny little part of me believed that with a tremendous amount of work, I just might be able to do it. After running a half marathon in 2009 and a full marathon in 2010 (both things I NEVER had on my bucket list) the way I thought about myself completely shifted. The nebulous "impossible" things didn't seem quite so far away. A sub-50 would require a lot of work, but I was willing to dream about it. I knew the reality was FAR beyond my reach, but there was a tiny inkling of belief that I COULD get there—someday.

How to Crush a 10K PR? 
Picturing the finish line with my watch at 49:59 got me through more workouts than you can imagine. When I was ready to call it quits, I realized that if I didn't do the work, I wasn't going to reap the rewards. Also, telling my brain to shut up.

Chasing people younger and thinner than I around the track week after week. I am terribly competitive, and keeping up with them gave me tremendous satisfaction. Realizing how consistent I am with repeats, getting stronger as we progressed was very eye opening. My last repeat was always faster and stronger than my first. Our three most strenuous track sessions were 21 x 200, 12 x 400, and 3 x 2 miles. Nailing our race pace splits was key every week. Lastly, getting into the pool to work on lung endurance exercises to know how to keep working through oxygen deprivation. I did repeats of swimming lengths of the pool without taking breaths.

Why sub-50? Why was it an important goal for you? 
Confident. I needed an 8:03 pace to get my sub-50. I had trained at a consistent 7:40 pace for the last month at the encouragement of my coach (track work on Wednesdays and tempo work on Saturday mornings). And emotional. The race raises money for Massey Cancer Center. I had a full-on crying jag, missing my friend Chris who died two-plus years ago. She was heavy on my heart. I got the tears out of my system well before the start.

Take me through the race. 
Mile 1: OK, nice and easy, 8:10, right on target. Hey, there's Paul (my trainer), let me cut in front of Melissa to signal to him.

Paul: "Oh my god, you look fabulous. Keep doing what you're doing. This is your race. Remember, the race begins at 5K. Keep going. You look GREAT." Brings tears to my eyes.

Oh, this feels harder than it should. Good grief, mile 2 (7:47). Breathe, relax, you're working too hard.  Count steps 1, 2, 3 breathe. At the 5K—24:43—damn, we’re good. Need a sip of Powerade. Grab a cup, one sip, toss it aside—oh crap, I bet I just got some poor volunteer wet and it's freezing out here. I am A Part of Hearst Digital Media. Really.

Now the race begins, pick up the pace. This pace feels GREAT. My shoes are tied too tight. Mile 4: 7:32. Good grief, no wonder that felt so fast. Breathing feels good though. Keep it up.

Mile 4.3: Crap, why is my left quad tight? That's never been tight in all of my training. OK, there are Mike [my husband] and Paige [one of my daughters], thank God, thanks for cheering for me.

This hurts. OK, just catch that runner just up there and when you catch her, you can run with her for a bit and take a break. Catch girl—shoot, she's going too slow.

Give A Gift.  Lonnie [St. John of the Sub-30 Club] said it would hurt. This mile is going to be so much slower. COME ON LAURIE, you can do this. You are fine. Just keep pushing. Use your arms. Those pushups sure helped. [Laurie was one of two people in the Sub-30 Club to finish my 20,000-pushup challenge in 2014.] Mile 5: 7:42. OK, five more laps of the track. Just five more laps.

Wow, I am almost there. I can SEE the finish line. Where is the freakin' six-mile marker? Oh, there it is. DON'T look at your watch, that was a terrible mile. Bart Yasso is on the right side, he said. Work your way to the right side. ONE LAP to go (everything measured in track laps in my mind as I had gotten so used to working those really hard). OK, going into the first turn. Come on, stay strong. OK, back straight away, you've got this. Oh, there's Bart. Wave to Bart, get his attention.

Last curve, move into position to high-five Bart. He calls my name. Puts a big smile on my face. Go over two timing mats. Look at my watch: 48:22. Stop my watch. Look up and smile at girl handing me my medal. Yes! And yes!

Sub-45 next??? 
Next, lose this stubborn 10 pounds. And then train to pace any and everyone at the Runner’s World Half& Festival. Give A Gift.