Two Days Out.
Hey there friends – happy Hump Day, the back half of the week is upon us!
Workout
This morning’s workout was semi-hard and basically a last-ditch effort to try and get comfortable cruising at my goal marathon pace, 7:00-7:10mm.
Mile 1 (warm-up) – 8:46
Mile 2 – 7:08
Mile 3 – 7:07
Mile 4 – 7:04
Mile 5 – 7:01
Mile 6 – 6:59
I will go ahead and say this — even though this morning was a success, running at that pace this morning didn’t really feel like “cruising.” Unfortunately, the frustrating part of it is that my breathing was actually okay, it’s my legs that were screaming for relief. That’s been my issue lately, and I think it’s just a product of stacking back to back long runs and not taking enough time off during the week.
My mileage is up right now, which I love. But the trade-off is the fact that my legs are totally fatigued. When I was training with Susan, she only scheduled me for 4-5 runs per week. I hated the off-days and low mileage, but I did break a state record even though we didn’t go through a full training block.
Right now, I have no idea what to expect this Saturday. While I was running this morning, I felt like it was probably not feasible for me to hold that goal pace for 26 miles. I honestly don’t know how I did it for the Loonies marathon, at this point. I don’t feel like I am anywhere near the shape that I was in for that race. I’m also not naive enough to think that two days of rest (which I’m COMPLETELY looking forward to) are going to prepare me to run better.
BUT, I shall persevere. I’m focusing more on nutrition, hydration and rest these next few days, and I’m hoping that I will be able to put on at least a semi-respectable performance. If not, at the very least I will have covered 26 miles and I will constantly remind myself that I run because I love it, and not for time.
—
So, I read a couple of awesome articles today, the first one kind of goes along with my overbearing fatigue:
The Massive Fitness Trend That’s Not Actually Healthy At All
This article really resonates with my feelings lately about fatigue and being able to run in the long term.
Being chronically exhausted is not the key to success. It’s a race toward disease and dysfunction. And in most cases, it causes suffering that is 100 percent preventable. Some people, like Dr. Meyer Freidman, the doctor who first identified the type-A personality trait, calls this western disease “the hurry sickness.”
This resonates with me on a number of levels beyond just running. But staying at work until 6:30 p.m., waking up at 4:00 a.m., working Sundays after long Saturday days and nights… I definitely have the type of personality that doesn’t allow me to “relax” — and I’m quite sure it’s going to catch up to me at some point.
If you want to wage war on your body, go ahead. Many of us go through that phase. I spent a decade there, with plenty of joint casualties and war stories to prove it. So I’m not belittling you—I’m just saying that this isn’t the only way to train, and it sure as heck isn’t sustainable.
Sustainability. That’s a big one. I used to run 10 miles a day, 5-7 days a week. I remember telling myself that I wouldn’t be able to do that forever, whether it be due to work obligations, pure exhaustion, or injury. Sure enough, I went through a busy spell between work, tutoring, and school last spring, and I physically could not lift my head off of my pillow on some weekday mornings. Mind over body no longer existed, because at some point your body will stop responding. I am just lucky I didn’t get hurt.
All health and fitness goals require sustained motivation. It’s an adventure, not a destination, and you’ll enjoy the adventure way more if you make it your own instead of following the herd.
Once again — this is about sustainability. You’ll lengthen your adventure if you treat your body with care. It’s very easy to get sucked into “militarized” or group workouts, as described in this article. But this leads to unhealthy comparisons between you, and people who have completely different motivations and mindsets.
Just do you.
And listen to your body.
Easier said than done.
Ok sorry for the tangent.
The other great article I saw today was this one:
23 things women say sorry for all the time but don’t actually need to apologize for
#SorryNotSorry
AND finally — this ridiculously cute video
Post by Nova 937.I.love.teacup.piggies.