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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Running Lately

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... **I know I was supposed to do my Randomy Randomness Part 2 today but I am saving it for Thursday since I had some running stuff I wanted to get off my chest!** 

Also, this post is really honest, and I am admitting things I think/feel that I am not proud of.


I haven't felt like running much over the past two weeks. I have felt slow, sore, and lazy. I want to want to run. Most days, my body says otherwise.

People keep saying "you have to recover". But BDR was over two weeks ago. Shouldn't I be recovered by now? Part of me is also like, "Recover from what!? I sucked at BDR. It was a race, but I have had faster training runs. I didn't need two weeks to recover from those." (Don't you love how I have to keep telling you how I have had faster training runs? It's because I don't want you to think BDR was the BEST I can do. Ugh, I hate that about me.)

It is hard for me to accept that my body is just not feeling RUNNING right now. I know why this is hard for me to accept. It's because I didn't reach my goal at BDR. If I had reached my goal... If I had simply run 15 seconds per mile faster, it would be so much easier to say, "Okay Megan, you deserve some recovery. And not days. Weeks."

Isn't that silly? I know it is silly. 

My paces have been all over the place lately. While I have hit sub 8 paces and some 9+ paces, most of my runs have been about 20 seconds slower per mile than normal. BUT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. I'M SUPPOSED TO CHILLAX. SO WHY DO I CARE!?

Because I'm a runner, that's why! I guess?

FYI: I usually look at my paces after my run, not during. If I look at my average pace during a run, it is not until I have one mile left to go.

Yesterday, after two days of rest, I decided I was going to run and I was going to LIKE IT. I got dressed, washed my face, brushed my teeth, picked out my clothes, and loaded up my MP3 player. I was hydrated on coffee only and my fuel was the miniature chocolates I ate right before bed... 13 hours beforehand. (This sounds weird but sometimes I run better on an empty stomach! Not always.)

"I'm going to have a good run," I told myself. But it didn't mean I would. After two days of rest, my legs didn't feel good or bad. Like most of my runs lately, I wasn't going to know how I felt until I was actually out there running.

"Just relax baby," Paul told me. "Go for a jog."

"Ew, don't call it a jog!!!" I'm a runner, damn it!

Dressed in shorts, a long sleeve, fleece vest, gloves, and a buff that covered my ears, I hit the streets. The thermometer had read 40 degrees but the wind was biting. It must have been below freezing because less than 30 seconds into my run, little tiny balls of freezing rain started coming down. They bounced off the road, my nose, and my lips. I stuck my tongue out and caught one. It felt like little electrical shocks as they hit my face. Thankfully it stopped after about five minutes!

As my legs warmed up, I thought about how I shouldn't be worried about how far or how fast I was running. My plan after the half marathon was to CHILLAX. Having no goals or expectations was the whole point of chillaxing. But what I was not prepared for was the fact that for most of the past two weeks, I didn't even feel like running. What I wasn't prepared for was that I may not want to run.

However, yesterday was one of those magical days. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the fact that I had rested for two days. Maybe it was the fact that I had an excellent podcast to listen to (Terry Gross interviewing Gloria Steinem). Whatever it was, things were clicking. I felt strong and fast. Running wasn't an effort, and I enjoyed every step. Five miles turned into six miles. I didn't look down at my average pace until I was on my last mile. I admit I purposefully sped up at that point! Judging by my ambitious pace, a cool down mile was in order.

Splits: 8:13, 8:06, 7:47, 7:41, 7:36, 7:22
Cool Down: 8:05

(I know my cool down mile is faster than my first two workout miles but that's what happens when my legs get moving- it is hard to slow them down too much!)

I stretched for 20 minutes after my workout. I knew my IT band would hurt for the rest of the day (it had ached for the past couple days for some odd reason... even though I have barely been running.) But despite the anticipated soreness, by spirits were high!

I had the yummiest post run meal... a spicy turkey dog!


I know I had a good run yesterday, but that didn't mean my next run would be good. I am just going to have to take running as it comes right now. Yesterday was my day. Today might not be, and that's okay.
Can you relate to any of this?

21 comments:

  1. Usually when I feel like that, it means that I need a break! As much as I love to run, I get burned out sometimes. Like now.

    And I usually run on an empty stomach, so not weird at all.

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    1. Yah the empty stomach thing... Generally I don't eat when I run at the butt crack of dawn, but yesterday I slept in and putzed around for quite awhile. Usually I get really hungry and run in those instances but not yesterday! The chocolate really must have held me over. ;) You know, that chocolate and it's long lasting energy!!

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  2. I can relate to this completely. It is when I need a mental break, even though running is my "life" mental break, it is when I need a "running" mental break. Right now, I feel I need a coffee, mental break, because my response isn't making much sense!

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    1. lol I am trying to decipher what you mean too! :) I think you mean like you may still run but you just run for fun and don't try to make every run into something important, is that what you mean?

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  3. I go thru ups and downs w/ my running. As you know just a few weeks back (when the weather started to get cold) I got in a bit of a running funk. And then I was forced to run at the indoor track for over a week so now even though it's really freaking cold (2 degrees yesterday and 6 degrees today) my past 3 runs have been amazing because at least I can be running outdoors and I missed the fresh air so much. I also have my swimming and weight training to help me get thru times when I don't want to run. I know if I ran every day I would not be happy. I love my 4 days of running, 2 days of swimming, 3 days of weights routine right now.

    I have no doubt your funk won't last long. You will come back with new goals and new plans and start to feel like yourself again!!

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    1. I know we have talked about this before and how we are so glad we have other things we enjoy besides running! I have only been lifting about twice a week but I could totally do that more right now rather than run. But then the Bernie Sanders shirt I got for Christmas may not fit! ;)

      Hopefully next week I will have a post titled "I love running again!!!!"

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    2. you totally will be like "I love running again"...."best thing ever and I am killing all my runs"

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  4. Yes, I can relate to all of this! It is nice to know other people have the same crazy runner thoughts as me. I don't know why I thought I should be totally recovered from my marathon after 2 weeks but I was getting frustrated that my runs weren't feeling good. I keep telling myself the same things as you but I guess we are just runners and its tough to give ourselves a break!

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    1. This is why I love the blog community, we think we are crazy but then there are always other runners who understand our thought process! You had a TERRIFIC race!

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  5. I can totally relate to this especially these last 6 months as I wondered why I didn't want to be out there running 20+ miles per week like everyone else does in their off seasons. First of all, it doesn't matter what your time was, you need the recovery because you raced hard. Pace has nothing to do with it, it's about the effort. And everyone is different. Some people bounce back relatively quickly from all races, others just need more time. It has nothing to do with how in shape or athletic we are compared to others, our bodies all just have different needs.

    Honestly, I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself to perform, not just in races but all the time. You don't have to be fast every single day. Even the elites have days where they don't hit all their splits. You don't have to want to run every single day. NOBODY does. Maybe you are going through a little funk right now but it happens to all of us, and it WILL pass. We need space from running just like we need space from our jobs, friends, even our partners and kids. Give yourself some space. Running will always be there when you're ready to come back. Chin up!

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    1. Man I hope I didn't come across as someone who needs to be fast every day. :( That's not the case at all. I know I put pressure on myself in a race situation because I rarely race and when I do I set ambitious goals.

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    2. No no not at all! I guess a better way of phrasing it would be that it's okay to have "off" days and days when running doesn't feel "effortless". I feel like we've all fallen victim to this notion that every day of running should be like a fairy tale Runners World ad where every random 5 mile run we go on is totally cathartic and goes down smooth as butter. Sometimes we go out there determined to have a good run but it just doesn't happen. And THAT'S OKAY! I always tell myself that the law of averages means that every time I have a bad run I'm due for a really good one!

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  6. I did a few small runs last week and nothing yet this week. I know i'm approaching taper time but really I have been slacking. There are just so many other things I wanted to do over break!

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    1. I get it! And you totally have an excuse because... TAPER!

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  7. Yeah, I totally relate. This is why I've never owned a GPS watch because I'm too obsessive to let my pace go. I love the description you made about the freezing rain. I almost stuck my own tongue out while I was reading, expecting to feel the rain prickling my face!

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  8. I think it took awhile to hit me, but my post-race blues finally set in a bit. I took some days off last week because of Christmas and seeing family, and I just haven't felt the urge to get back out there. I know I WILL, so I'm not stressing about it, but it's weird to have gone from gung-ho to totally just...meh. I wonder if you're just dealing with normal "hardcore training and race day is over - things feel unstructured - I feel meh" feelings, too.

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    1. That could be it! And maybe I don't recognize it because I don't really race a whole lot anymore!

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  9. The half was an EFFORT. More of an effort than I have put forth in quite awhile!

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  10. LOL---> This:
    "Ew, don't call it a jog!!!" I'm a runner, damn it!"

    My thoughts exactly!

    I am so happy you had a great run!! Your turkey dog looks so yummy. I haven't had one of those in forever!!

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    1. We get them all the time- they are so good. I love them burnt.

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