14 miles and Still Standing (barely).

It's been a rough week for the Bandit.  Rough.  Tears shed even. 

My 13 miles last Saturday went well.  My next run on Monday was an easy, quick 4 miler. The run was great.  Quick for me and I felt pretty good. So I can't figure out what went wrong on Tuesday.  I did something I haven't done since I started running in August.  I walked.  I walked again and again.  My body just wouldn't go.  I had some of the usual aches and pains, but no real "excuse".  It freaked me out.  If I can't handle a little 4 mile run, how the heck am I going to run 26.2 miles in ten weeks?

I was pitiful for the next two days.  Why am I doing this?  I can't do this.  I don't want to do this.  Is it worth it to run to be healthy when it makes you hurt physically?    It's been two months and my body looks the same.  I've been working my butt off and it's still there!

Wednesday I am still bummed and my sweet husband says:  "Just quit".  You don't have to do this. I tried to explain to him WHY I had to do it....because I said I was going to. 

Thursday I had a meltdown.  Big ole tears and all.  Twice I cry.  My sweet husband hugs me and tries to make me feel better (after work he brings me flowers and my favorite candy bar--he never brings me flowers!). Thursday afternoon I gathered up my courage for my third run of the week.

6 miles. Not as easy as 4, but not terribly hard.  And... it went well. My pace was closer to where it should be and best of all,  I never felt the urge to walk.  Yeah Bandit!

Friday--no running.  But on an unrelated side note, I gotta tell you I was cross country skiing at Sleepy Hollow State Park and saw a real live musher with six dogs on the trails.  It was so cool!

I wake up Saturday facing 14 miles.  My longest distance ever.  But less than a mile more than last week, so I know I can do it.  I struggle to get motivated and actually get out the door, but I do.   I take Bandit, the dog, with me for the first 8.5 miles. A long ways for a ten pound guy, but he loves it.  He's been much better behaved now that he runs with me.
I drop him off at home and after a quick drink, I'm out the door to finish my last 5.5 miles.  The first hour or so of my run, the sun was shining and it really felt like spring was in the air. I am so slow the weather changes and now the wind comes up and sun goes away.   I ran the last 5.5 miles even though I wasn't sure I could.  If you can call it running.  I was so slow.  I was 20 minutes slower at my 13 mile mark than I was last week. My last mile almost took me another 20 minutes.  What the heck?  But!!  I never stop to walk, except dropping the dog off at home--first time I tried this.  May be a bad idea. Could that have slowed me down?I don't think so, I was pretty slow when he was with me.

Of course now, 4 hours later I can barely walk, my feet hurt terribly and my hamstrings are so tight they feel like they could snap.

So again I wonder who am I fooling?  Can I really pull this off? 

I think I can.  I think I can. I think I can.

Only 70 days til Pigs Fly.

Comments

[Birgit]

I think you should - at least magnesium, calcium, ferrum...

[Jamie]

Ragged: Your words of encouragement really do mean a lot. Keep 'em coming!
Birgit: I don't take any, but keep wondering if I should. I have little knowledge in this area.

[Ragged Around The Edges]

I know you can! And bumps in the road are all part of a long journey. It's ok to have a "come apart" ever now and then and need some uplifting. We all need that. You continue to impress me over and over again.

[Birgit]

I'm sure you can, Jamie!

Do you take any additional vitamins and minerals?