Workouts this week Oct. 7-13

Monday: Off

Usual off day.

Tuesday: 4 easy miles

I did a quick 4 mile trail run. I didn't want to run. Made myself anyway. I wanted to listen to a new running podcast, so forced myself to run 4 miles and listen to the podcast. It went better than I thought.  I had to walk a few times. And my left ankle started feeling crunchy at the end of the run (which is new).

Wednesday: DNS

I made myself run yesterday. Today I was crying I didn't want to run so much. I'm exhausted. I felt like I was getting the flu. (Okay, I spent most of my 20s this exhausted. Had many tests done. Quitting dairy helped some, but now I'm back to my persistent state of fatigue. Went to bed at 9:30 last night.) I came home and took a nap and felt a lot better. I did 30 minutes on the exercise bike. I think running 30 mile weeks and 5 days a week is just too much for me. I'm frustrated that I have no speed, and no goal really.  (And the last week was really, really stressful.)

Thursday: Running Blahs

Another day because I cry I don't want to run. I haven't done any speed workouts this week. My quads hurt. My anxiety is in full gear. I came home thinking about quitting running. I talked myself into running two easy miles. That turned into 3 miles. And it was fine. I probably won't make my miles for the week. But I got it done. 

Friday: Nope

I had planned to run 5 miles after work. At lunch, I felt like I was having an asthma attack. I took my inhaler and thought that running while having breathing issues would be a bad idea. I did a super easy indoor cycle while watching TV on my phone. So something. 45 minutes of easy exercise with some abs and arms thrown in. 

Excited for my run. Set out my clothes
 the night before. The cat helped. 

Saturday: Fleet Feet 12

I was looking forward to this run, a rarity of late. Only, I ended up running most of it alone. I had no one to run with. I was so tired. I was running 9:30s and they felt like 8:20s from last year. My workout with 12 miles with the last 15 minutes fast. The last 2 miles of the course was up hill. So, I did the first part of the route and then made my own route. I did my last two miles in 15:59. And I was just dead for the rest of the day. Way more tired than I had anticipated. Like after rogue last year. So I am not in shape.

Saturday group run. 

Sunday: easy miles

Again, I didn't want to run but thought I could make 20 miles for the week. My quads were killing me. I ran and my legs were fine. Had to make a few bathroom stops. Got in 3 miles for 22 miles for the week.

Miles this week: 22

Times I cried because I didn't want to run: 2

Times I felt so tired I thought I should go to the doctor: The whole week

How I've felt all week. 

Workouts this week: 9/29-10/6

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 4 miles

It was 95 degrees outside so I did 4 miles at the indoor track. Maybe I should have done more, but I had to get home ASAP.  

Wednesday: Off

It's October and 95 and the feels like is 99.
I got a massage. It actually made my legs feel so much worse. For days.

Thursday: 6 miles

Did 6 miles at the indoor track. It's just too hot to run outside. 

Friday: 4 miles

I should have done hill repeats and a 4 mile race pace run this week (Tuesday and Thursday), but I messed my workouts for the week up. My plan was to do the 4 mile tempo as part of a 5k, but the 5k isn't taking race day registrations, so I'll do that solo. So I did 4 easy miles today, and I'll do my hill repeats as part of my long run. 

I also got a massage today. My achilles were really tight. There were knots in my quads. I thought I didn't really need it. I really did. 

Saturday: 4 mile tempo (supposed to be 10k pace) + mile warmup and mile cool down 

My plan was to run the homecoming 5k, but they closed registrations a week before the event ended and didn't take race day registrations. I considered going to group run, but that seemed like too much of a hassle. So I did 1 mile warmup. And then 4 miles out and back near my house. Mile 1 hurt (7:58) and this was the pace I ran a half marathon at 6 months ago. Now I can't run 3 miles this pace. Mile 2 8:01. And I took a break. I was hurting. I got water. (It was 75 and 80% humidity with moderate air quality). 2 minute break. I KNOW I shouldn't take these breaks. Then mile 3 in 8:06. I took a quick break (because I felt so, so bad) and then mile 4 in 8:05. For an 8:03 average. (I ran another .4 mile at 7:58 pace to get back to the start.) 

These 8 minute miles felt WORSE than 7:30s felt a year ago. So bad. I know I shouldn't take a break, but this was all I had today.  Did a mile cool down. 

Sunday: Combined workouts

Today I did the hill repeats I was supposed to do Tuesday or Thursday with my long run. (It was a cutback week, so 9 miles). Not my best idea ever, but this way I get all my workouts in for the week.

I woke up and went back to bed. I never do this. But I felt awful when I got up. I slept until 7. Puttered around way too long and went to the trails, where I went to the bathroom before the run and was crying in the stall because I really didn't want to run. (My legs hurt just walking to the bathroom). I was having one of my "I should just quit running" meltdowns. I've had a pretty crappy summer and am just so frustrated with seeing so many people hit fast times and me slowing down. I didn't want to end on 20 miles for the week. So I told myself just to try a warmup lap and see how I felt.

I did 3 mile for warmups. (Legs were fine.) And then the workout was 7x 2 minute hill repeats. The repeats are supposed to be fast. I do them as fast as I'm able. (I'm bad at running hills, it's trails and I have to watch my footing, so I think hard effort should count.) I finished all of them without walking. I thought they were faster than last time (they might not have been, but my start/stop line isn't the same, and Strava does not track this hill right at all. It said the second was 90 seconds slower today.) 

2:00, 2:00, 1:58, 1:53, 1:54, 1:52 which is about a minute slower total than last time, but the distance might be different. 

My downhill segments were shorter, but it measured them the same distance. I thought they felt BETTER. 

Then 3 miles for a cool down. Had to walk a few times. Hit 9.2 miles and 30 miles for the week. 

FUELING: I tried UCAN for the first time before this run. I'd heard great things about it, but Stevia messes with my stomach. I found a flavor without stevia and tried it. I knew it was super starch, but I was expecting it to be more like Gatorade and less starchy. I did NOT like the texture, but I had a better than expected run, so I might try it again. 

I also did a HUMA protein smoothie afterwards, because I always wait too long to eat. That thing was disgusting. I choked it down. It was thick like peanut butter. It was much needed too because I didn't get to eat until 5 hours after my run!

Miles this week:30
Runs this week: 5
Cross training: FAIL. I do squats while brushing my teeth. Does that count? 
Feeling: Hard week. Grateful to make my miles