Wednesday...
I had a 6-mile run on the schedule today. It was supposed to be a tempo run. 4 miles at a 9:18 pace, with 1-mile warmup/cool down bookending them at 10:55 pace. Well...I slept terribly last night. I never sleep badly. Not to brag, but I'm something of a sleep savant. And yet I laid awake for ages last night tossing and turning and looking glumly at my alarm clock.
I had set the alarm for 5 a.m. (ugh) because the heat here has been awful. Yesterday's high was over 100, and it was supposed to be worse today. Well, when the alarm went off I rethought the original plan and re-set it for 6. I did get up at 6 (the power of the training plan), had a quick breakfast, and took off for a run.
After last Saturday's 9 mile run that went pretty darn well (ok, well, I survived it, anyway) and Monday's 3 miles at a good pace, I was expecting a decent run today. I started off feeling like it was way too much work, which is normal for me, but got into a decent rhythm before long. I even focused on slowing down a little if I started to feel winded since it was supposed to be my warmup. Mile 2 went well...I was surprised by how quickly it went. Unfortunately, it was a struggle from mile 3 on.
I'm not sure what the problem was. The trail was pretty flat, and I'd eaten ok. I'm not sure if it was the heat/humidity (yep, even at 6:30), lack of sleep, or just general suckiness. It wasn't pleasant out, for sure. As I headed back from the midpoint of the run, I passed two women walking. "You're brave," said one, meaning, I think, "You're stupid." The thing is, I could make up an excuse for not running pretty much any day. Something always hurts, running never feels good, and midwestern summers aren't known for the pleasant weather.
Anyway, the splits tell the story. Fail.
Mile 1: 10:25 (ok)
Mile 2: 8:30 (heck yeah...but in retrospect, maybe I should've paced myself better)
Mile 3: 9:33 (boo)
Mile 4: 10:21 (gah!)
Mile 5: 11:13 (walked a bit, realized that walking gave me time to actually feel how bad I felt)
Mile 6: 11:37 (ditto on the walking)
Today was really the first day when I questioned whether it's worth the time and effort to try and be a better runner. What exactly am I trying to prove/accomplish? On the other hand, I'm also this evening pondering a short run tomorrow, even though I don't have one on the schedule. And I know that not meeting my goal today doesn't equal failure. Giving up does. I got up when I'd have preferred to sleep. I ran my six miles. I ran a mile in 8:30 when not two months ago I was struggling to run a 9-minute mile in isolation. That'll have to be enough success for today.
Weekly stats so far:
Bike: 47 miles
Run: 9.55 miles
Walk: 2.76 miles
Miles left in 80 in August challenge: 67.59
*****
Since I have two built in babysitters in the form of my teenagers, I can leave to run before my 6 yo gets up. I had reminded him last night that I'd be running in the morning and the older boys would be there; I didn't want him to worry if he came into my room when he woke up and couldn't find me. I also left him a note on the bed to remind him this morning:
"J, I went running. D. and N. are both home. I will be back at 8:00. I love you! Mommy"
Well, today after I got back from my run, we did some playing before I showered. We were hanging out on my bed after I got dressed and talking about the note. I asked if he could read it, so he picks it up and reads, "J, I did not go running..." I told him if he was going to change what I said, he should rewrite it. So this is what we ended up with:
In case you can't make it out, his revision reads, "J- I DiD not Go running. D and N are not [home<--he accidentally scribbled it out, too]. I boo [do] not love you. Mommy" What a little stinker! I should also note that, along with the sidewalk chalk last week, this is the only writing the child has done all summer. It's a good thing my kids are smart, because we sure don't do any kind of serious academics in the summers. It's summer--it's fun. That's my story and we're sticking to it. *** Spent a little more time in my classroom and then went to a Thirty-One Gifts party at a friend's house. I'm not too big on home sales parties, mostly because everything seems so expensive and it's been a while now since we had money to spare; however, I do like these products. They're cute, they're fun, and they're relatively inexpensive. (And no, I'm not affiliated with the company at all. Just saying.)
By the time I got home, I made a quick dinner and had enough time to take the boys to the pool. It was still 97 at 7:00 this evening, so the water felt great. I also got a chance to take a few pictures of N and J in the water.
The only way to get N's picture is if he's not expecting it.
J searching for the dive rings. I'm amazed by how he's progressed in the water this summer...from non-swimmer to diving to the bottom of the 5-foot section for toys.
Getting upset with his older brother over something...a regular occurrance.
Got one!
N helping J style some "crazy hair" for the camera.
Yeah...that's crazy!
Playing together
N is still a big kid in a lot of ways. He's waaaay more fun for J at the pool...when he's not driving him crazy. I'm more or less a prop, the ring-thrower, the obstacle to swim around and under, the referee, and the photographer. And I'm ok with that. :)
I love summer.
I had set the alarm for 5 a.m. (ugh) because the heat here has been awful. Yesterday's high was over 100, and it was supposed to be worse today. Well, when the alarm went off I rethought the original plan and re-set it for 6. I did get up at 6 (the power of the training plan), had a quick breakfast, and took off for a run.
After last Saturday's 9 mile run that went pretty darn well (ok, well, I survived it, anyway) and Monday's 3 miles at a good pace, I was expecting a decent run today. I started off feeling like it was way too much work, which is normal for me, but got into a decent rhythm before long. I even focused on slowing down a little if I started to feel winded since it was supposed to be my warmup. Mile 2 went well...I was surprised by how quickly it went. Unfortunately, it was a struggle from mile 3 on.
I'm not sure what the problem was. The trail was pretty flat, and I'd eaten ok. I'm not sure if it was the heat/humidity (yep, even at 6:30), lack of sleep, or just general suckiness. It wasn't pleasant out, for sure. As I headed back from the midpoint of the run, I passed two women walking. "You're brave," said one, meaning, I think, "You're stupid." The thing is, I could make up an excuse for not running pretty much any day. Something always hurts, running never feels good, and midwestern summers aren't known for the pleasant weather.
Anyway, the splits tell the story. Fail.
Mile 1: 10:25 (ok)
Mile 2: 8:30 (heck yeah...but in retrospect, maybe I should've paced myself better)
Mile 3: 9:33 (boo)
Mile 4: 10:21 (gah!)
Mile 5: 11:13 (walked a bit, realized that walking gave me time to actually feel how bad I felt)
Mile 6: 11:37 (ditto on the walking)
Today was really the first day when I questioned whether it's worth the time and effort to try and be a better runner. What exactly am I trying to prove/accomplish? On the other hand, I'm also this evening pondering a short run tomorrow, even though I don't have one on the schedule. And I know that not meeting my goal today doesn't equal failure. Giving up does. I got up when I'd have preferred to sleep. I ran my six miles. I ran a mile in 8:30 when not two months ago I was struggling to run a 9-minute mile in isolation. That'll have to be enough success for today.
Weekly stats so far:
Bike: 47 miles
Run: 9.55 miles
Walk: 2.76 miles
Miles left in 80 in August challenge: 67.59
*****
Since I have two built in babysitters in the form of my teenagers, I can leave to run before my 6 yo gets up. I had reminded him last night that I'd be running in the morning and the older boys would be there; I didn't want him to worry if he came into my room when he woke up and couldn't find me. I also left him a note on the bed to remind him this morning:
"J, I went running. D. and N. are both home. I will be back at 8:00. I love you! Mommy"
Well, today after I got back from my run, we did some playing before I showered. We were hanging out on my bed after I got dressed and talking about the note. I asked if he could read it, so he picks it up and reads, "J, I did not go running..." I told him if he was going to change what I said, he should rewrite it. So this is what we ended up with:
In case you can't make it out, his revision reads, "J- I DiD not Go running. D and N are not [home<--he accidentally scribbled it out, too]. I boo [do] not love you. Mommy" What a little stinker! I should also note that, along with the sidewalk chalk last week, this is the only writing the child has done all summer. It's a good thing my kids are smart, because we sure don't do any kind of serious academics in the summers. It's summer--it's fun. That's my story and we're sticking to it. *** Spent a little more time in my classroom and then went to a Thirty-One Gifts party at a friend's house. I'm not too big on home sales parties, mostly because everything seems so expensive and it's been a while now since we had money to spare; however, I do like these products. They're cute, they're fun, and they're relatively inexpensive. (And no, I'm not affiliated with the company at all. Just saying.)
By the time I got home, I made a quick dinner and had enough time to take the boys to the pool. It was still 97 at 7:00 this evening, so the water felt great. I also got a chance to take a few pictures of N and J in the water.
The only way to get N's picture is if he's not expecting it.
J searching for the dive rings. I'm amazed by how he's progressed in the water this summer...from non-swimmer to diving to the bottom of the 5-foot section for toys.
Getting upset with his older brother over something...a regular occurrance.
Got one!
N helping J style some "crazy hair" for the camera.
Yeah...that's crazy!
Playing together
N is still a big kid in a lot of ways. He's waaaay more fun for J at the pool...when he's not driving him crazy. I'm more or less a prop, the ring-thrower, the obstacle to swim around and under, the referee, and the photographer. And I'm ok with that. :)
I love summer.
Totally not a fail! That rocks that you finished...and it takes a smart runner to know when to push and when to listen to your body cues and ease off. With this heat you could have gotten heat exhaustion.
ReplyDeleteI did a five mile run two weeks ago where the first mile I flew (this course- either way you do it the first mile is all downhill- which means the last mile is all uphill)...but by mile four i started getting chills and knew it was time to walk. I think my last mile was over 16 minutes..but I made it out of the trail safe and sound.
Thanks! And you're right. I figure I was a success as soon as I got out of bed instead of sleeping in, right? :)
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah...chills...scary. You were smart to walk it.