LRM Miles Trained To Date: 353
Alternate titles for this blog could have been: Like Pulling Teeth, Against All Odds, Why Oh Why?, Lord Give Me Strength. But I digress. On with the show!
This morning when I woke up it was a whopping 22 degrees outside. I went ahead with my pre-run breakfast and water-drinking contest. But then I thought to myself "why run in that insane weather?" So I opted to postpone until the afternoon or tomorrow, when it is supposed to be warmer. I thought it would be nice to sleep in and enjoy some time with my husband. That I did! Until we each left the house at the same time; him to go work a few necessary hours and me to run errands. I did several productive things and got home around 1 PM. It had warmed up to about 37 degrees and it was GORGEOUS outside. I said out loud while driving home "It is too beautiful to not go for a run." I was proud of that statement/feeling!
At about 2 PM I headed out. I was planning on running 14 miles solo, i.e. without mid-run assistance from my husband (since he was at work until who knows when). No problem, I thought. I had created a course in familiar areas with some unfamiliar residential interludes. I got going just fine. The first neighborhood I went through was quickly to become the last; the streets did not work out like the www.usatf.com site said they would. This made me mad (because I guess I'm crazy!) so I decided, upon getting back onto the main road, to just go to the 7 mile point and redo the course. An out and back! For the first time in forever! So, at mile 5.75 I decided to go down a previously un-run road. It was a roller coaster, yet very scenic. I was not in the best of spirits, which I hated. Sometimes it is harder than other times to be upbeat. I wish I knew why!
At the halfway point I ate my peanut butter sandwich and enjoyed "visiting" with some horses and donkeys. It was so very peaceful. I was proud to make the acquaintance of Brazil Road and Horse & Donkey Lane (aka David O'Young Road). I was happier all of a sudden. I even thought to myself "I bet I can make this a negative split day!" No such luck, folks.
From the halfway point until I was located by my husband (at mile 12), I just DID NOT want to be out there. I was walking a lot more than I was running. I was just fed up. I was miserable. I wanted to quit. But I did not. I could not. I'd much rather give a poor performance and finish the job vs. just throwing in the towel. That's just how I am.
Once I got home - THANK GOD - my husband remarked that a) it's a good thing I'm tapering now, so as to conserve energy and all (but I'm exhausted out there!!!!) and b) he thinks that, while I love the training and all, I'm ready, both physically and mentally, TO RUN THE RACE. He thinks I'm ready for it (as do I, at least physically) and these last few weeks pre-race are just grueling for me! He thinks I am just ready to be done with it all - and he is right. I am ready to get out there on race day (4 weeks away!) and give it my all and be proud of my efforts. Come on March 4th!
My Garmin battery gave out just as I completed the 13th mile. All of my treadmill, non-Garmin training this week was not good for my task of remembering to charge it up! But here are my slow times:
Mile 1: 12:07
Mile 2: 11:54
Mile 3: 12:25
Mile 4: 12:51
Mile 5: 13:01
Mile 6: 13:08
Mile 7: 12:16
Mile 8: 13:16 (the drudgery sits in...)
Mile 9: 15:15 (where is my taxi to home?)
Mile 10: 13:53
Mile 11: 16:02 (worst hill in the county)
Mile 12: 14:28 (put me out of my misery!)
Mile 13: 13:22
And the Garmin went kaput! My average, though, was 13:24, which is not wonderful. I did high-tail it home for the last mile (big finish!) as my "spousal escort" followed behind me with the flashers on.
I wrapped my blister-prone toes with Curad athletic/medical tape before the run today. I did not get any blisters! I still have some pre-Brooks blisters healing, though.
I do have some big news! I have signed up to run the Soldier Field 10 on May 26th with my good ole friend Katie. That race is 16 weeks after the marathon, so I am sure I'll be ready for it. It sounds like a very cool race. You start at Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois) and run along the lakefront so far, then come back towards SF and run the last bit in the stadium and they put your mug up on the jumbotron! I am really, really hoping that we can swing both me and my husband making the trip; how cool would it be to see your wife's face up on a major league football team's video screen running to victory after 10 short miles? www.soldierfield10.com
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4 comments:
That is pretty funny that you would refer to that May race as 10 "short" miles! Just goes to show how far you have come in your training.
Hang in there during the taper. You are definitely ready for the race. You have been doing so well!!! Lately you have really been enjoying your runs and they have come easy. You just had a bad day, but even a bad running day is better than no running! :-)
These last 4 weeks will be gone before you know it!!
I can't believe your marathon is only a month away - I am so excited for you and am counting down the days along with you!
I am also looking forward to the SF10 so that we can be Monsters of the Midway together.
And seeing how it's Superbowl Sunday, GO BEARS!!!
Congrats for toughing it out and not jumping in the car with your husband. How tempting must have that been?
Good Job getting through it!
nice to sleep in and enjoy some time with my husband
you could have counted this as cross-training... (wink wink nudge nudge)
You Made the run though. Sometimes just completing the distance no matter how you feel makes the difference. When it's mile 21 and you don't feel like going any further, you remember these workouts and think... hell, if I made it to the finish then, I can do it now. You get that second wind and keep going.
So even the bad runs, are learning opportunities... the lesson is there if you are open to finding it.
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