Here's what you've missed, in the meantime:
- Wednesday, July 18 run - a 30 minute run that got cut short due to hip pain; kept up a decent pace though.
- Vacation in Miami - in which we endeavored to run, but failed (Saturday July 21, Monday July 23, and post-vacation recovery on Wednesday July 25)
- Saturday, July 28 run - 8 mile target, just under 6.5 run (making this the new longest run ever). Run/walk of 10min/3min was adjusted to 8min/5min to deal with hip pain, headache, and tummy ache. Ended up stopping 5 minutes earlier than planned because I completely depleted my glycogen stores and just couldn't run any farther. It was a surreal experience which taught me that:
- a) I need to have a plan for fueling on runs longer than 1 hour
- b) I am infinitely tougher than I used to be; seriously, this was the most out-of-body miserable experience I have ever put myself through
- c) My husband makes an incredible long-distance runner; he isn't affected by this stuff at all
- d) Old Jacksonville Hwy inside the loop has great sidewalks
- e) It's time to buy that CamelBak
- f) I still hate the heat, and probably always will, but it doesn't have to keep me from running
- Tuesday, July 31 run - a 30 minute run fraught with whining and puttering and grunting. I learned that:
- a) Some runs are just really hard for no reason.
- b) My attitude problems aren't gone, but they are getting better (and Matt allows me enough grace to make up for it)
- c) I need to be mindful of my tendency to fall into a slow-pace rut
- d) Accordingly, it's time to kick it up a notch
- e) I still let my emotional environment dictate my physical output
- f) Sometimes my feelings are wrong.
With the Saturday run, we wrapped up what I consider another week towards our bribe-thermometer (lost a week while in Miami).
It's been really tough here lately. I know lots of people experience seasons of discouragement in their training, so I'm not alone. I've been struggling physically and mentally for the last few runs. What have you done to get through periods like this?
You are attempting new speeds and distances in probably the hardest time of the year to do so. I was so discouraged trying to run last summer because the heat was too much and I had never run through the summer before. This time I've relaxed and added a lot more gym work and treadmill runs. Some people think the treadmill is cheating but in that case I just bump the speed or the incline up and call it a day. Miles will always be miles no matter how you achieve them. This has worked wonderfully for me. Don't be so hard on yourself and just be encouraged by the fact that you are doing more today than yesterday! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lauren! That is awesome encouragement. I'm trying not to take the heat for granted.
ReplyDeleteTreadmills are hard for me because I get sooooooooooooooo bored, but maybe it's time for me to give them another shot (at least on short runs during the week).