Running into excuses

So I’m training for this marathon. Only I’m not doing that great at the moment. Last week I was pretty pleased with myself: four miles on Monday; six miles on Wednesday; then 10 miles at the ocean on Saturday. And I made a pretty good time with all three runs.

This week, I planned to do six miles on Wednesday and 10 miles on Friday (today) followed by a 14-mile run on Monday or Tuesday. But it’s all gone a bit wrong. You see, on my Wednesday run I was really pleased with how it was all going and was excited to see that my time was 3+ minutes better than the same run last Wednesday. And as I finished, I saw Dad’s bike parked out front, all loaded up for his overnight trip. So I grabbed one of the water bottles to quench my thirst. Only it wasn’t water, but rather white gas for his camp stove! Thankfully, I realised just as I was going to drink so whilst I did get a mouthful, I didn’t swallow. Also thankfully, there really was water in the other bottle to rinse my mouth with.

Then that night, my lower legs and feet were extremely swollen. Like really, really swollen. Now, I don’t know if the white gas incident had anything to do with it or if it was a combination of the run, the heat, and my lack of water intake. But last night my feet were a bit swollen, too. Again, I stopped to wonder if that was a white gas leftover, the heat, or a lack of water again.

Anyhow, today’s run was meant to be 10 miles, but I opted to turn a mile early for an 8-mile run instead. And several things made me do that: (1) I hadn’t slept well the night before thanks to “Widow dreams“; (2) my running clothes seemed to be ill-fitting, likely because they’d been going through the tumble dryer (will now air dry running gear); (3) my feet seemed unhappy; (4) the sun was beating down like mad; and (5) the winds were really strong on the return.

I think that everything combined made my determination waiver a bit. And when my mind was processing the previous night’s dreams, it just made the run even more miserable. So I’m two miles behind on my training now, but I know that I can catch up and will still get my 14-mile run in before my flight leaves.

And as to not leave with just excuses for a shorter-than-planned run, here are some solutions:

  • I am working to increase my water intake again. It’s really fallen since I stopped working.
  • I am looking into some better running clothes. I noticed today that it was too hot for the jacket I had (which is actually a golf jacket and not a proper running one) but the wind on my sweaty arms made it too cold not to have long sleeves. So a proper running coat and/or long sleeved top is needed!
  • I am going to try to get up earlier for my longer runs – like before the sun gets so hot. (Although I did start before 7:30 this morning, so maybe that won’t matter.)
  • I am going to get some new, more motivational music on my running iPod. The stuff I have is good, but I need new tunes!
  • I am going to just try harder!

I’m taking the weekend off since tonight and tomorrow night is class reunion stuff (my 20th is next year, but with such a small school we often combine a few years, since we all know each other so well!) and tomorrow morning I’m having a yard sale to try to get rid of some more stuff before my move. Oh, and Sunday is lunch with a friend in North Bend – about half a mile from the Nike store where I plan to get a new jacket and even look at new running shoes.

Then I suppose Monday I’ll have to pound the pavement again… Yay for running!

2 Replies to “Running into excuses”

  1. Hey you, I’m struggling with my running too. Still not managed to break 13.5 miles yet and too much stuff on to find time for running. Either it’s after work and I’ve no energy, or it’s at the weekend and there have been too many other commitments to be able to find time. I’m pretty much having this week off (I did 7 very hilly miles at the weekend in a very creditable 73 mins) and then I think I’ll start trying to take time off work to allow me to do some running without being exhausted at the end of the day.
    But I’m seriously worried now that I won’t be ready for 2nd October. Seriously needing some help and motivation…
    Hope you’ve got over your running block. Looking forward to running with you when you’re here in Scotland.
    xx

    1. I haven’t yet managed to break 13.1 myself. I hoped for a 14-mile run this week, but as I got a bit behind, I’m now planning for a 12-mile route on Friday instead. Sadly, that will be my longest run before my flight. So, I’ll need to hope the jetlag doesn’t slow me down too much!
      I am not certain that I’ll be running the whole marathon. In fact, I really expect that I’ll have to walk part of it, which is cool with me.
      But I’m also hoping that we can be motivation for each other once I get there. Maybe having someone to do long runs with will help?
      See you soon!! xx

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