Well, that didn’t exactly go as planned! I had high hopes for my long run Saturday, but those quickly shattered. I didn’t get much sleep the night before (3 hours) and I spent all day on a farm before setting out for my run at around 7 pm at night in Virginia. I started my run tired and looking for excuses, but I pushed myself all the same. I found a beautiful little circuit around the downtown area of Warrenton, VA. I enjoyed my run overall, it was a fantastic 55°F out, and most of the snow had melted. However, it was starting to get dark, and my nearsightedness gets worse at night (I am getting fitted for contacts Saturday after the Charity Teams training run!).
I was exhausted at the start, and it only got worse. I pushed through even though I wanted to quit at mile 1! I worked until around mile 9, when I tripped and almost ate it. This was a sign to me that it was starting to get cold, and I was risking an injury. I ran a couple more miles, tripping once or twice slightly, before I finally called it and finished the last 30 min of a total 3 hours worth of cardio on the exercise bike.
I pretty much should have expected this, what I didn’t expect were the ramifications following this run. I’ve had bad runs, and I was well overdue for a bad run (the last one was in January, I expect them every 4-5 weeks). However, what I hadn’t noticed was that my stomach and body were not up to snuff in more than one way. I think I started to feel under the weather starting Friday, and a week later I still feel like while I’ve recovered significantly, I am not at 100% at this point.
I have been made aware that there is a stomach bug going around, and I’m very confident that I was fortunate enough to pick it up at some point. It’s bad timing, but I’d rather it be now than before race day. It is affecting how I feel about my runs, but overall my runs haven’t SUFFERED. I skipped speed training this week (still biked) and opted to perform hill training last night. I was struggling but I was still able to complete all 4 sets.
I’m still performing pretty insane considering I’m not feeling well. I just hope I can keep up my long runs in distance and get some more 20+ mile runs in before I start my taper.
I went into this blog post feeling very negative. My friends and coach have been propping up my confidence, and I owe some people a big thank you at the finish line for rebuilding my running self-esteem. However, looking at what I’ve still managed to accomplish this week I’m feeling very positive going into this run.
I’m also very happy with my choices overall,despite the travel that might have affected my running. I haven’t let training get in the way of my personal life in the past, and I continue to stay dedicated to the people I care about. This trip meant a lot to me, to be there when it counts, and I’m very thankful for my current place in life. Also, added bonus was that I ended up in some cool places experiencing/learning some pretty cool things!
This dog is so photogenic and had a personality to match!
Now I’m preparing myself for a Charity Teams 17 mile run. I’m considering adding on 3 miles if I feel well enough at the end tomorrow. This would put me on track to get up to my final distance of 22 miles over the following weeks. However, this will be an upset to my usual schedule of waking up, eating, drinking my coffee and casually getting out the door. I will have to get up at least an hour earlier than usual and get on the MBTA. I also will be dressed as a Superhero! Pictures to follow! Wish me luck on kicking this body back into gear!
Also, on a final note I got my speed training up to a PR of 21:24 for 3 miles. I didn’t mean to increase my speed but I guess I didn’t need as much of a warm-up. At least I’m getting better at one part of my training!
trapstoohottohandle 