Wasn't sure it was going to happen because Jake was home at 10am, I figured he'd be super tired, I don't normally do well on my runs if they aren't first thing in the morning and I don't know, I just didn't bet on it.
I had a back up plan to run 6 on Sunday morning with a friend but that would knock out the only morning I sleep in, which was depressing me!
Lo and behold Jake was up for me going on Saturday afternoon. He was tired but wanted to stay up (he's like a machine when it comes to either sleeping or not sleeping).
I saw a window to get 'er done and at 2pm I started my 'nine mile'.
Up to this point in my training I haven't really failed and it's all been very doable.
I guess you could say, "It was about time".
I was miserable.
I think I ran about 6 miles and walked the other 3 miles. I would have quit sooner but I was on a trail and had to get to the car by either walking or running.
(It was so bad that I was fantasizing about knocking over someone on a bike so I could steal their bike, get to my car, drive back on the trail and pick them up/help them/give their bike back....no worries, I was a good girl.)
It wasn't a solid 6 or a solid 3 and it was all slow....and hot....and I didn't have enough water....and I was mad.
Mad about not finishing, mad at my stagnant weight loss lately, mad at the heat (it wasn't even that hot!)
Do over this Saturday, I think.
I do not, by any means, count it a loss in my training. I figure my legs were on fire during, I was super sore after and I still finished the whole 9 miles.
I don't know what I count it, but it was not a win either.
I got up to run my normal 5.5 miles this morning and was actually fearful that I wouldn't be able to finish it.....again, it's my NORMAL.
It was slow, mostly out of fear, I think, but I did finish....dang it.
I cannot wait to conquer this nine miles.
4 comments:
ok, so here is some encouragement for you...Jon and I were supposed to do 9. I was at about the 6 mile point too and I just could.not.go.anymore. I was dry heaving on the side of the trail, mind you I had just done 8 the week before...from what I've heard you hit that point at sometime in your training...and yes, all the same emotions happened to me, I walked the last 3 and jon was waiting for me at the car. I through a big fit and told him I was quitting and that I had secretly wanted a snake to bite me so I had to be rescued! Here is what helped...drink a full glass of water about 1/2 hour before long run...are you eating anything? We did little snicker mini's starting about mile 4 then every other mile...I tried all the gels, beans, etc, those made me hurl...snickers worked for us. YOU CAN DO IT!!
What you experienced is absolutely normal in the course of training. At some point, the distance, the weather & a host of other external/internal forces, brings you to the breaking point. You just never know how your run is going to go until you get going. Don't discount the fact that the success of the run is half-mental and everyone has a different standard they're holding themselves to.
The weather was warm (it was 80's up here in Boston) and when running it will feel about 20-30 degrees warmer. If you were short on water, that made a HUGE difference. Do you have a water belt or hand held water bottles that you can use to keep hydrated? I liked having a Powerbar for my runs that lasted over 90 min to keep the sugar in my tank too.
Trust me, your body got a good workout and the training still did you good -- evidenced by the soreness. It's much better to have a less-than-satisfactory run, than to not run at all.
I bet you'll find your next 9 miler will be a more positive experience -- especially if you can do it in the morning before it gets too warm. I look forward to hearing about it!
yes.
you have to have one of those BAD runs every once in a while.
so you're good now for a while :-)
and i've heard that about snickers.
i've never tried it...let me know! they are my favorite, too!
Don't be too hard on yourself. Lose long milers get to ya and can be a real drag. When I was training for a marathon, getting past the 14 mile run was the hardest for me. (usually anything over the "half way point" of the distance you are training for tears you up.)
PLUS- running in the heat of the day....what can ya expect. that is THE HARDEST time to run.
I started running with a camel back so that I would not run out of water. Hey, it's Arizona and hella hot here :)
I got used to the bouncing pack on my back after a while.
Keep up the great work.
:)
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