12 Frustrating Miles
Well, this weekend was a lot of the same as past weekends. Running, relaxing, a little bit of productivity. What wasn't the same is my long run. Oh, I got it done. But I had to fight for those 12 miles.
Running is such a funny funny thing. For every 5 runs or maybe 10, heck if you're lucky 20....then bammo that bad one. And you just never know when it'll happen. Those days you expect it to suck it's great then those days you're hoping for runner's high and the feeling of flying is when you hit the wall.
And sometimes social media doesn't help. Why do I say that? I mean, you have so much inspiration, people cheering you one (hello virtual sherpa crew), but you also see all these posts, tweets, updates about an amazing 12-miler, a fantastic 20 miles, or the best 18 ever.
You have had some great runs, you see all these others having great runs, you get psyched up dreaming of your 12 going perfectly. And it doesn't. It can be disappointing, frustrating.
Now, I'll admit that part of it was my fault. I waited too late and underestimated the temperatures that jumped from 65 to 82 really flipping fast. I did the first 6.5 miles way too fast as well. But I got back to the house with Jason (he was only doing half of it with me), took my GU got lots more water, tried to cool down for a second before taking off again. I thought that little re-group would do the trick.
I had side-stitch, my piriformis was hurting, I had to stop and stretch twice. I was overheated and started to just get mad with myself. I started asking "how bad do you want this?" over and over. And I did want it. And I'm stubborn, so I finished every last step of those 12 miles.
After stretching and trying to refuel, I started feeling super crappy and nauseous. My electrolytes were totally out of whack no matter what I was doing. But, we were heading to a harvest festival, and I thought being outside, enjoying the sun and fresh air might help some. I had a beer when we got there and that actually made me feel totally human again - carbs? sugars? Not sure what it was, but it felt almost magical!
We ended up not staying terribly long at the festival. It was nice to mill around and check out vendors and such, but I also needed to eat again. Insert late lunch at one of our favorite pizza joints - Vino's. Pizza and beer are perfect recovery foods right?
Much Better 4.5 Miles (times 2)
Sunday morning Jason and I got in a much much better 4.5 mile run together. I did manage to squeeze in biceps and triceps as well. I just went with giant sets for each muscle group. It was a short but effective workout I must say. I did stretch and roll out my legs quite a bit after everything was said and done.
Then we had some errands to run. Maddie was completely out of food so that was a must-do thing. We ended up going for another late lunch at Dugan's so we could enjoy the patio. And it just so happened that a friend of ours was stopping in to grab something at the same time. So we got to visit with him for a while.
I felt like I needed to be more productive, so I did get lots of laundry washed and managed to do some more weeding of the flower beds. The dogs really enjoyed just being outside too. Though, I think I found every mosquito in our yard. Itchy itchy.
Today I managed to get in a good 4.5 mile run at lunch. It was one of those "need to run" situations. It really helped clear my head, and it was nice to have temps that let me get in a midday run for a change.
I'll be leaving for San Diego early Wednesday morning, so tonight I need to get packing. Jason is planning to make a chimichurri sauce for some Gardein Beefless Tips. Not exactly sure how the dish will all come together to be honest. This is his project, not mine.
I don't normally do a question of the day type of deal, but today I'm going to. So, question for today - do you think social media (blogging, twitter, FB, Instagram, etc.) can create a sense of expectation for your own workouts? Sometimes a false sense of perfectness?
Well, this weekend was a lot of the same as past weekends. Running, relaxing, a little bit of productivity. What wasn't the same is my long run. Oh, I got it done. But I had to fight for those 12 miles.
Running is such a funny funny thing. For every 5 runs or maybe 10, heck if you're lucky 20....then bammo that bad one. And you just never know when it'll happen. Those days you expect it to suck it's great then those days you're hoping for runner's high and the feeling of flying is when you hit the wall.
And sometimes social media doesn't help. Why do I say that? I mean, you have so much inspiration, people cheering you one (hello virtual sherpa crew), but you also see all these posts, tweets, updates about an amazing 12-miler, a fantastic 20 miles, or the best 18 ever.
You have had some great runs, you see all these others having great runs, you get psyched up dreaming of your 12 going perfectly. And it doesn't. It can be disappointing, frustrating.
Now, I'll admit that part of it was my fault. I waited too late and underestimated the temperatures that jumped from 65 to 82 really flipping fast. I did the first 6.5 miles way too fast as well. But I got back to the house with Jason (he was only doing half of it with me), took my GU got lots more water, tried to cool down for a second before taking off again. I thought that little re-group would do the trick.
I had side-stitch, my piriformis was hurting, I had to stop and stretch twice. I was overheated and started to just get mad with myself. I started asking "how bad do you want this?" over and over. And I did want it. And I'm stubborn, so I finished every last step of those 12 miles.
After stretching and trying to refuel, I started feeling super crappy and nauseous. My electrolytes were totally out of whack no matter what I was doing. But, we were heading to a harvest festival, and I thought being outside, enjoying the sun and fresh air might help some. I had a beer when we got there and that actually made me feel totally human again - carbs? sugars? Not sure what it was, but it felt almost magical!
We ended up not staying terribly long at the festival. It was nice to mill around and check out vendors and such, but I also needed to eat again. Insert late lunch at one of our favorite pizza joints - Vino's. Pizza and beer are perfect recovery foods right?
Much Better 4.5 Miles (times 2)
Sunday morning Jason and I got in a much much better 4.5 mile run together. I did manage to squeeze in biceps and triceps as well. I just went with giant sets for each muscle group. It was a short but effective workout I must say. I did stretch and roll out my legs quite a bit after everything was said and done.
Then we had some errands to run. Maddie was completely out of food so that was a must-do thing. We ended up going for another late lunch at Dugan's so we could enjoy the patio. And it just so happened that a friend of ours was stopping in to grab something at the same time. So we got to visit with him for a while.
I felt like I needed to be more productive, so I did get lots of laundry washed and managed to do some more weeding of the flower beds. The dogs really enjoyed just being outside too. Though, I think I found every mosquito in our yard. Itchy itchy.
Today I managed to get in a good 4.5 mile run at lunch. It was one of those "need to run" situations. It really helped clear my head, and it was nice to have temps that let me get in a midday run for a change.
I'll be leaving for San Diego early Wednesday morning, so tonight I need to get packing. Jason is planning to make a chimichurri sauce for some Gardein Beefless Tips. Not exactly sure how the dish will all come together to be honest. This is his project, not mine.
I don't normally do a question of the day type of deal, but today I'm going to. So, question for today - do you think social media (blogging, twitter, FB, Instagram, etc.) can create a sense of expectation for your own workouts? Sometimes a false sense of perfectness?
Yes! Definitely! I reach a PB distance or time wise and then notice how much faster and farther everyone else ran. Then start thinking I'm not doing enough. Hard to avoid, I just have to remember the only one I should compare my workouts with is myself to see if I'm improving.
ReplyDelete