T: 4.5 m run
W: 3 m run
R: 4.5 m run (skipped)
Sa: Race for the Cure 5k
Well, after the horrible Sunday 7 miler last week, Monday's rest day was much needed. I was thinking the week's runs would seem like a breeze after 7 miles, but Tuesday's 4.5 m run was just brutal! My legs were tired; I was out of breath the whole time, brutal! I was so discouraged. It should have seemed easier after completing 7 miles; right?
I did Wednesday's 3 miler on a treadmill. It wasn't much better. Discouragement hit an all time low! I got on the message boards at Runner's World to try and figure out what's going on. Are my legs just tired from increased mileage? Is my pace too fast (which is quite slow I tell you, but too fast for me?)? I think it's both. I especially think I should slow down. Jonathan and I are running together, and I am trying to go faster than is comfortable so he won't think it's such a drag to run with me. This is really pushing my limits. Additionally, I've not been sleeping well this week. I'll sleep from about 10:30pm to 1am or 3am then I'm wide awake. It's horrible.
Thursday I just couldn't muster the courage to do another 4.5 miles. The memory of Tuesday's 4.5 m horror was too fresh. I unashamedly skipped (of course now I'm freaked out the 10k and half will be horrible all because I skipped this run)!
Despite all of this, I was almost looking forward to Race for the Cure on Saturday. Since my legs were "rested", I was really hoping I would enjoy the run. I knew things were not starting off well when I only slept from 10:30pm-2am the night before. My head was pounding, and my body was tired when I got up. It was a really festive atmosphere when we got there though, and that helped. We got some cute shirts made for our work team, and well, being in a cute shirt is always a good thing; right? The good feelings the shirt brought me were short lived. First off, I missed the 1 mile marker which frustrated me. I walked through the water stop and really started feeling worn out. I was especially discouraged to see so many people I knew hadn't been training for running in front of me. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but seriously? I have been working on this since the end of April!
I really wanted to break 30 minutes, but secretly, I was hoping to get in the 28-something range. I knew I had to have a bit quicker than a 9:30 pace for that. When I got to the 2nd mile marker, I was at 19:00 so I was right on track. I just needed to pick up the pace a little on the last mile. Unfortunately, I just missed my goal, and finished in 29:10. This is my new PR, however, so that's a little consoling. The timers were really messed up because it was such a big race so my official time (by the time I got all the way through the chute) was 31:58. Umm...I'm not going by that.
Jonathan ran on his own the whole race so I was pretty worried about pacing myself. I did better at this than I thought which gives me some confidence for the next race. He started off too quickly, but did awesome. He ran a 24: something---his best yet. Yay for him!
I am dreading, dreading, dreading this week's runs. I just cannot imagine getting back out there after the "Great 7 Mile Disaster of September 21st". Slow down and walk when necessary is my strategy.
See the pictures from the race here:
W: 3 m run
R: 4.5 m run (skipped)
Sa: Race for the Cure 5k
Well, after the horrible Sunday 7 miler last week, Monday's rest day was much needed. I was thinking the week's runs would seem like a breeze after 7 miles, but Tuesday's 4.5 m run was just brutal! My legs were tired; I was out of breath the whole time, brutal! I was so discouraged. It should have seemed easier after completing 7 miles; right?
I did Wednesday's 3 miler on a treadmill. It wasn't much better. Discouragement hit an all time low! I got on the message boards at Runner's World to try and figure out what's going on. Are my legs just tired from increased mileage? Is my pace too fast (which is quite slow I tell you, but too fast for me?)? I think it's both. I especially think I should slow down. Jonathan and I are running together, and I am trying to go faster than is comfortable so he won't think it's such a drag to run with me. This is really pushing my limits. Additionally, I've not been sleeping well this week. I'll sleep from about 10:30pm to 1am or 3am then I'm wide awake. It's horrible.
Thursday I just couldn't muster the courage to do another 4.5 miles. The memory of Tuesday's 4.5 m horror was too fresh. I unashamedly skipped (of course now I'm freaked out the 10k and half will be horrible all because I skipped this run)!
Despite all of this, I was almost looking forward to Race for the Cure on Saturday. Since my legs were "rested", I was really hoping I would enjoy the run. I knew things were not starting off well when I only slept from 10:30pm-2am the night before. My head was pounding, and my body was tired when I got up. It was a really festive atmosphere when we got there though, and that helped. We got some cute shirts made for our work team, and well, being in a cute shirt is always a good thing; right? The good feelings the shirt brought me were short lived. First off, I missed the 1 mile marker which frustrated me. I walked through the water stop and really started feeling worn out. I was especially discouraged to see so many people I knew hadn't been training for running in front of me. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but seriously? I have been working on this since the end of April!
I really wanted to break 30 minutes, but secretly, I was hoping to get in the 28-something range. I knew I had to have a bit quicker than a 9:30 pace for that. When I got to the 2nd mile marker, I was at 19:00 so I was right on track. I just needed to pick up the pace a little on the last mile. Unfortunately, I just missed my goal, and finished in 29:10. This is my new PR, however, so that's a little consoling. The timers were really messed up because it was such a big race so my official time (by the time I got all the way through the chute) was 31:58. Umm...I'm not going by that.
Jonathan ran on his own the whole race so I was pretty worried about pacing myself. I did better at this than I thought which gives me some confidence for the next race. He started off too quickly, but did awesome. He ran a 24: something---his best yet. Yay for him!
I am dreading, dreading, dreading this week's runs. I just cannot imagine getting back out there after the "Great 7 Mile Disaster of September 21st". Slow down and walk when necessary is my strategy.
See the pictures from the race here:
Congratulations on your new PR! I am looking forward to our upcoming races, and I know your times will just keep improving. On another note, I love that you did a run this morning, and it is already posted on your blog. We really are soulmates!
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