I'm calling today's run my virtual race report for P over at Adventures of An Average Athlete. Not my best race, by far.
I apparently have no sense of when a good time to run is, when I am ill. I relied on Superman's judgment when I was feverish. He relied on mine when the fever broke. Now I'm not certain that was the best idea. Today was hard in much the same way last Sunday was hard. Again, I believe days of inaction, sitting at the computer, is the cause.
The run was in Superman's neighborhood, which means even the flattest route has hills. 65 degrees and sunny, which is unheard of in November. I've been having S1 issues and knee issues, so tried to stretch a bit earlier in the day. Even after a walk around the block to warm up, I was stiff and my knee hurt. I decided after about half a mile to try it without shoes. That helped quite a bit. I made it about 2 1/2 miles (the farthest I've ever run barefoot), then decided I was warm enough to try it with shoes on. At least I'm smart enough to build the barefoot mileage slowly!
The original plan was 6-8 miles. The first 3 were ugly, with a lot of walk breaks. In addition to knee pain, my legs were heavy, my stomach was unhappy, my breath was shallow, and my heart rate was high. I blame the cold medicine, and the fact that I am not quite over my cold. After a bathroom break, Superman and I decided to go for the middle distance. 7 miles. I really wanted to have a decent run, as I'm heading into taper week.
Things did get better, but not best. I still had several walk breaks as my breath left me and my heart rate reached uncomfortable levels. At 4 miles I tried a strawberry Cliff gel. The gel didn't upset my stomach any more than it already was, but it was not exactly flavorful. The strawberry was more an aftertaste. I won't use that one again!
We did actually cover 7 miles, but I am glad this is taper week and I can justify slowing down a bit. I want to be in good shape for the race. I have goals. I just have to nurse my knee a bit to get there. I've been here before and I know it will go away. I just have to be patient and let it!
2 comments:
It was such a pretty day for a run, and a really sweet day to spend the time together that we did.
It wasn't an easy run for either of us- I hadn't run for much of the week as well and had a cramp in my leg, I believe, from sitting in front of my computer.
On the other hand, the Shaker Lake we passed was beautiful, the foliage was perfect yellow-and-orange late autumn, and it was fun trying a different route. You did very well on the uphills, where I'd have thought that you'd have walked them, you chose to run them instead.
Thank you for motivating me to run to-day, and thank you too for sharing it with me! Love you!
Oh my goodness, what a tough run! Way to power through your "race." :-)
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