10/2/07

So Saturday was a nice 60 minute run. As per usual, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but I wasn't dreading it either. It was just there. And it turned out to be a good run. Nice pace, tired a few times during the run, but I pushed through it. So I was jacked to see that the training schedule called for only a 40 minute run on Monday. FORTY MINUTES!!! That's it?? With the mileage and minutes that I have been getting in lately, 4o measly minutes should be a breeze. I was even kind of excited about it.

Can you tell where this is going? Yeah, I thought so. So yesterday turned out to be a spectacularly BAD run. I have experienced the full spectrum of quality of workouts over the last 10 months, and I've really only had one other one that was a poor as this.

Maybe I started out too fast. That is what I am REALLY hoping. I tried my "don't stop unless you can't breathe or something hurts" rule, and that wasn't really working. I kept on running and trying to pinpoint just what was so making it so rough. My legs were tired, but not any more that I had experienced before. I had been drinking water all day, so I don't think I was dehydrated. I did have some fat sausage fingers by the end of the run. I had convinced myself that that was indicative of some sort of impending brain explosion.

No brain explosion, and I finally crapped out after 30 minutes (and at least five minutes of that was walking). I am still disappointed in myself about yesterday's run - I guess I was mad that I didn't even shoot to walk 10 more minutes to at least round out to a complete 40 minute workout. I didn't suck it up and push through it. FOR A 40 MINUTE RUN.

So is this the whole mental part of training for a marathon that they talk about?

4 comments:

Laurel said...

Yeah. I sounds to me that you were just having a mentally crappy run.

Don't fret. It happens to all of us. It happened to me last Thursday on my shortest run of the week too! Sometimes, the brain is just not with the body on the run and even though physically you're fine, mentally it's running suicide!

I bet you'll rock the next one!

Before I'm 35 said...

Thanks Laurel! I am thinking I am going to try a new trail for my next run. A change of scenery will do some good I think.

Runner Leana said...

Sometimes I truly believe that it is the short runs that do us in. We start conditioning ourselves for the long 2 hour runs, but then ask us to run 40 mins and our bodies have no clue what to do. Oh well, we need to have stonkers to appreciate the truly great runs, and I'm sure the next one will feel better.

aerorunnergirl said...

Oh, that's too bad. I have days like that all the time, and though it isn't indicative of anything real, it certainly does a number on your psyche!

Keep your confidence high, you will probably own the next one.