Workouts this week: June 11-17

June 11: Monday, off

June 12: Easy 5 miles

June 13: Speed work

After more than a year, I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE 5:30 A.M. TRACK WORKOUT.

I'm the one with the giant frizzy hair.

Thursday: 5 mile bike ride

Friday long run

I took Friday off work, so I decided to use the extra time to get my long run in. I did 4 hill repeats in the middle. 

Lunch from the Grit.

5 mile bike ride

Saturday: Bot gardens + core

I need to get better at running hills so I ran at the botanical garden. Ugh. (I think I did have to walk twice.) It was hot. But I'll run more hills and get better. 

Evening: 20 minutes of core

Sunday: Speed work plus yoga

After months of 10k speed, I want to work on shorter distances. My goal was to work on my mile or 5k this summer. 

There's a mile race in September. It's 12 weeks out, so I decided to do a time trial.

This training plan said that if I could run 1,000 meters at my goal pace, I could do a mile in 6 weeks.

So I went to the track. 

• Mile warmup. (And my legs felt lighter than they had in a while.) I did some strides and drills.

• 1,000 meters. I stopped my watch at 3:50, which I think is 5 seconds too slow. But my watch had 6 minute pace the whole time. But I felt good.

• Then I did a 400 and 200 meter just for fun. (1:28 and 41 seconds)

• 1 mile cool down

Overall, super happy with this workout. Think a 6 minute mile might be possible for me. It was good to feel fast. 

Evening: 40 minutes of yoga.

Workouts this week: 3 yoga, 5 runs, 2 bike rides

Miles this week: 27 

Race Recap: The Big Run 5k

Matt and I at the starting line. 

For Global Running  Day, one of the local running stores partnered with Brooks do a huge event. Last year, it was a group run. This year, it was a free 5k and 350 people preregistered and a few more people showed up day-of.

I was floored by the interest in the event. So many people pre-registered and coming to the event. On a Wednesday evening. It was awesome. Brooks was there. As was Nuun. And there were popsicles after the race (yay!) already paid for. (Thanks Fleet Feet and Brooks).

My running group, also had a potluck afterwards.

The race
Originally, I had wanted this race to be a rust buster. I wanted to see where I was at in terms of 5k speed. I haven't raced a 5k since November. (I was hoping for under 23 since I am not in 5k shape.)

And then the temperature was 90 degrees for this race. I adjust my expectations and thought that I could do a 10k speed workout and that would be good. But if that didn't happen, so be it.

I'd also been at work since 7:30 a.m. at a conference. I'd eaten badly and was generally tired from being around people (introvert problems).

Most of the runners I knew were going to take it easy. But I thought I could at least do a tempo and see what happened. (I thought 7:30 pace was doable).

And at 6:30 p.m. in 90 degree heat the race started.

Mile 1: 7:25. I was feeling fine.
The course was a little more hilly than I would have liked. A girl I know is slower than me passed me in the first mile. I just laughed silently.

Mile 2: 7:31.
I was feeling okay. I kept a consistent pace and stayed behind Kristen (who I finished behind at Marigold.) I think I passed slower girl in the first mile. I was maintaining.

Mile 3 7:30
By mile 3 I was getting hot. The course had a turn around, so I could see who was in front of me. I counted two women in front of me. So I was third place woman. After that turn around, that gave me some motivation. (I wasn't losing third and I was keeping the second place woman in sight. She finished near me at Marigold as well.) I was counting my steps to the finish. At about 2.8 I was really ready to be done, but knew by legs could do a speed 7:30 or 7:00 minute mile as long as I kept my foot turnover quick. So I slugged on.

.1 And then I got to the end of the course sooner than I thought. The clock was in the high 22s so I sprinted to be under 23

Running with the guys

Time: 22:55

And I was happy to be under 23.

The course actually measured a hair short. My watch measured it 3.09. So I walked around until my watch got to 3.11 so I'd have a 5k in Strava.

As for effort—it was a solid tempo. It wasn't an all-out run. And I wonder what I could do on a cool morning. But I also didn't want to go any harder than I had to. I was happy. My splits were consistent. All that 10k training DID pay off. I didn't die in the end. I heard that little voice in my head, but today I was determined not to let it get to me. I was more aware and not giving up this time.

I got a medal and a pint glass for finishing.

After that, I drank two cups of water. I was so hot. I said hi to some of my friends. I walked up the hill and a man told me popsicles from the ice cream truck had already been paid for. I got a watermelon popsicle and did my cool down running and eating a popsicle. The ultimate cool down.

Then I changed out of sweaty clothes, and went to the potluck.

Great turnout for our potluck

I ate a bunch of cookies. And then helped clean up.

I got home at 9 p.m. It was a long day. I was so tired I knew I'd sleep well.

Race recap: Georgia Peach Jam

I signed up to do a half marathon on Memorial Day. The medal was cool (it spins!). I liked the idea of doing a long run on my day off. The course was flat. I was IN.

So I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and left my house at 5:10 a.m. to go to a race 90 minutes away.

I didn't plan on RACING the half marathon. I haven't been training for it. My 10k training plan went up to 12 miles, so I thought I'd do it as a long run (having run 12 miles twice within the last month) and see what happened. The trail half in February almost killed me and an informal half the first week of April went well: 1:56 not counting a few breaks for friends).

And then the rain started. It's been raining for a solid week. I was convinced the race was going to be a monsoon with standing water and slippery wooden bridges. I was kind of hoping it rained out. It didn't. I went anyway.

We got there plenty early: 6:30 a.m. (There was no traffic that early in the morning.) I picked up my bib and was pretty thrilled that there were REAL RESTROOMS at the course. At least three sets of real restrooms (not port-a-potties) near the start. I went to the bathroom. And then I just sat in the car for awhile so I wouldn't get cold or wet. (The women in the cars on both sides of ours were also waiting in their cars.) Around 7 a.m. I got out of the car to warm up and stretch (in my rain jacket).

Yep, still drizzling. Matt looked at the radar and predicted the race would be mostly dry. (Haha)

Finally, I went to the starting line, on a track, and lined up for the 7:30 a.m. start. After overheating the last two races, I ran in my sports bra this morning. It was raining and I did not want to run in a wet tank top. I looked around and was surprised there weren't more shirtless guys or ladies in sports bras. Eventually I did spot a handful of ladies in sports bras. (And this tactic worked. I didn't overheat or have to worry about a wet tank).

Going in to the race my goal was just to run under 2 hours, for a Strava badge. At 9-minute miles this was doable. If I was having a good day, I could run the first half in 9 minute miles and then cut down like I have before.

But I ended up going out faster than planned, but it felt like an easy enough speed so I stuck with it.
8:30
8:28
8:36
8:40
8:30
8:36
8:36
8:46

At mile 9 I slowed down to 9:05 a mile. Which was pretty close to my first goal so I wasn't worried about it. I was also running with a group of people and just matching their pace. They slowed down. I passed them and picked mile 10 back to 8:39. And knew I'd have my Strava best 10-mile time.

Mile 11 was back at 9:06. But I knew I could practically walk the last two miles and make my goal of under 2 hours at this point.

Mile 12 I ran in 9:17. I was getting tired. Matt says, "It's funny how you have to speed up at the end of the race to keep the same pace." This is also maybe the first point in the race I was by myself. I'd run most of the race with people everywhere, but it really thinned out here and I ran the last two miles almost solo.

Mile 13 the wheels fell off. It was 12.5 miles and I had .7 to go (because the course and my watch weren't matching up). I saw Matt and had a very dramatic breakdown. (Looking back, it was very much a tired toddler reaction.)

He offered me water.

There were four water stops on the course. I used all of them. I didn't need water. I wanted him to be at the finish line.  

And my legs just decided to quit at this point. I asked for help. "I need help," I said in practically a cry.

He kind of slow jogged with me a little, maybe six feet to my left where I couldn't quite see him.  "You can do it," he said very calmly. This is the first time I walked. And I tried to run some. But he was super far away and not very enthusiastic. And I said I needed help again (super dramatic, I totally melting with a tired toddler who needs a nap). And then he kind of just gave up.

I wanted to run right behind me and push me on. I wanted him to tell me to trust the training or that I could do it. To be right on my shoulder in the most annoying way possible and to be super peppy about that I could do it. But all of this was in my head.

I ended up walking once more but picked it up for a 9:29 mile. (I knew I could still make my goal, so I wonder if I gave myself permission to slow down on some level.)

The race finished at the track and I knew I couldn't walk on the track. So I finished. My watch said 13 miles and my time was 1:55:04.

And then I walked .11 miles so Strava would give me my half marathon badge.

I drank some water. I took my shoes off (I really wanted my shoes off). My waterproof shoes were great, but my feet were steamy and hot from the miles. Matt went and got my backpack so I could change out of super wet clothes.

I went to the bathroom and changed slowly. My sports bra was dripping water. I had wrung my shorts out some of the course. It had drizzled the entire time. I wish I would have brought a wet-dry bag. (Note: none of the bridges were slippery, but the course was a puddle fest.)

And then I went to look at results. I got third in my age group. Yay. So we stuck around for medals. And I got to stand on the podium. I met another Road Runner who was at the event. (She ran WAY faster than me.)

After that I tried to cool down. But my legs didn't want to run. I ran/walked and then stretched.

And then it was time to go home. We stopped by Moe's for some food.

Thoughts on the race
• The medals are cool. I wasn't expecting TWO medals
• I was pretty pleased with a 1:55
• I think the key to having a good race is low expectations :)
• Why do I always DIE on the last mile? This happened on my last half too? Maybe it's because I only train UP TO 12.
• Mental toughness: still need to work on that. I was pretty positive for the first 10 miles. I told myself that I run well in the rain, that I was going to have a good 10-mile time.
• ALL OF MY HALF MARATHONS HAVE BEEN IN THE RAIN.
• Definitely went better than my first half marathon. I bonked in the same place. But I was 10 minutes faster. I didn't get super dehydrated and sick at 3 p.m. My splits were more even. It was an easier experience.
• Would I do it again? Part of me wants to shave some of those slower times off (Maybe 2-3 minutes). I might do another half again but I don't plan on training for one this summer. I'm looking to get my mile and 5k time down.
• All in all: a great race, well organized, nice course. (Matt admitted he should have done the 5k, which I tried to get him to do.) This is definitely a race to consider. My only complaints are the weather (but it was very run-able, not too hot), and my brain wanting to quit.

Strava
• I got my May half marathon badge
• I got my project 1:59 badge
• Strava DID NOT give me a half marathon PR for some weird reason
• I did get records for my best 15k, best 10 miles and best 20k.

A good run: finally

A rare non-solo run. I should run with people more.

After about three weeks of wanting to quit running, it's finally clicking.

I've been a mess the last few weeks. I was sick, tired, and had some work stress.

And it's actually been a week of good runs. Culminating with one of the best runs I've had in awhile.

I had planned on running the Chick-Fil-A half this year. It was my first REAL race one year ago. It got me hooked on my running journey. I wanted to run the 10k again and see how much better my time was compared to last year. But the race was canceled. But there was a 13.1 mile group run in its place. I had a 12 mile run on my training plan so it was PERFECT.

I found a friend to run with and had a plan.

The week of the weather started looking bad: 90% chance of rain. And I really wanted not to run in the rain. But the weather looked rainy all day, so it wouldn't make sense to do it later. I wasn't doing 12 miles indoors. And I had plans to run with a friend, so I showed up. (I was really looking for a reason not to.)

And it was a great run. Despite everything.

• I'd planned to go to bed early the night before. My husband had to work nights so he was getting ready when I should have been going to bed.
• I spent an hour trying to find an arm warmer I didn't even end up wearing.
• I set my alarm for 5:15 for a 7:15 a.m. run (to get up, do the pet chores and get there early enough for parking.)
• Matt came home at 4:15 and woke me up. (I was in the middle of dreaming about the evil vampire from Underworld, which I'd seen about 3 minutes of on TV that night).
• So no sleep and it was raining.

Also, I never know what to wear on runs.
• Waterproof Nikes + Feetures socks.Shoes were great. Puddles were the problem at the end of the run.
• Lululemon crops
And then I didn't know if I should wear a tank top with arm warmers or a short sleeve. Probably not a long sleeve for 53 and rainy. When I ran the trail half, I got too hot in the long sleeve, and I don't want the weight of a wet long sleeve shirt.
Last minute I threw an Eddie Bauer rain jacket on every my singlet anyway. It wasn't even running clothes, but it was raining. I got hot in the jacket after about 2 hours, and dumped it at the 3-mile water stop. I figured I could tie it around my waist. And that if I dumped it, it would immediately start pouring and I'd want it. But the jacket kept me dry during race announcements and I'm glad I had it the first mile. I think the first mile was the rainiest.
• I wore my singlet over a short sleeve shirt and then dumped the short sleeve after 6 miles. I usually run in shortsleeves or long sleeves in 53 degree weather but wasn't cold running the last half in a tank. And that turned out well. I wore a hat which was soaked at the end.


The run
My training plan was a 12 mile long run. 10 easy miles (8:55-10:04) + a 15 minute strong finish. So my plan was to do the 12 miles and walk the mile back to Fleet Feet as my cool down. I also wanted to not rabbit the race and run my miles too fast and burn myself out in the first half. So I started slow—towards the top end of my paces. And slowed myself down every time I was running too fast.

Mile 1: 10:07
Mile 2: 9:55
Mile 3: 9:22. I found myself purposely slowing down and running back towards my friends.
Water stop at mile 3 was at a busy intersection that took forever to get a light to cross.

New sections of the greenway

New section of the greenway

Mile 4: 9:09
Mile 5: 9:10
Mile 6: 8:46
Halfway stop to change shirt and get water. Course went back to Fleet Feet.
8:43, 8:37, 8:42 (water stop here), 8:25. Honestly, I didn't realize I'd sped up for miles 7-10. I was chatting with Cathryn and didn't look at my watch. The two guys running with us were breathing hard so maybe I should have realized.
I told my group my training plan so they wouldn't wonder WHY I was speeding up after mile 10.
Mile 11: 7:33: Oops this is race pace. So I dialed it back
Mile 12: 7:48 Better.
Then I was done. I walked a few steps. And then realized I felt pretty good and if I ran back I could finish a half marathon in under 2 hours on my watch. So I jogged a cool down. 8:47 a mile. And then the course measured short, at least .2 short, so I ran some more so I could get that half marathon time on Strava.
For a total time of 1:56:20. Though Strava counted the elapsed time (with traffic stops, water breaks and waiting on friends).

And my legs totally weren't dead after this run. This is only the second time ever I've run more than 12 miles. My trail half was awful. This run was so good I ALMOST get why people do half marathons. It made me think maybe I'd run a half—not at race pace, but that pacing a 2 hour half for a friend or something might be nice. This run was so good, it reminds me why I run. (And it's about time I had a good run!)

The miles flew by. I wasn't dead afterwards. I did run into a sign jumping over a puddle in mile 11. I didn't realize I'd hurt myself until I took a shower and my arm stung. Oops.

Workouts this week: March 26-April 1

Cat + running shoes + foam rollers

Running funk: Week 3

I'm now in week 3 of my running funk.

I came home from a failed speed workout Thursday sobbing about how I wanted to quit running. I was crying so hard my eyes were swollen the next day.

My legs are tired. I'm not getting faster. I never have ANY free time because all I ever do is run. And for nothing. It's not a plateau. I could be plenty faster. Just something is going on and I don't know what.

I've been sick. So I should cut myself some slack but my whole training plan is screwed up. I missed three days last week. I've gotten all my long runs in, and more than half of my speed workouts. Which when I write that doesn't sound that bad. I have stayed AROUND 25 miles a week. Self: it is not the end of the world.

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: Easy run

I was too sore to do hill repeats like my plan called for. My friend suggested a fartlek instead, which was a great idea. But after a BAD day at work and with my legs still tired I did an easy run. (After work, I felt like I was going to cry but never did.)

Also, the construction fences were down at the IM Fields where I usually run. It made it much easier to run.

Wednesday: Trail run

The only reason I didn't quit running last week was because I said I'd lead a trail run for the road runners.

Great turnout at the first trail run of the season. Much more than I expected.

There was an amazing turnout. More than 30 people showed up and ran. The mosquitoes were out. It was the first hot day after some cold weather. The course was hilly and hard and everyone was walking the last half. But I think people had a great time.

I struggled on this run. My legs were tired. And my friend ran ahead of me, so I couldn't chat :( 

Thursday: Failed speed workout :(

My plan was 2 miles, an easy mile and another 2 fast miles. It's a good 10k workout.

Mile 1: 7:40.

WAY off pace. I couldn't make speed. 

I jogged a lap and decided to try again and see if I could salvage the workout.

Mile 2: 7:28. But I had to work like mile trial work to get the 7:28. It's not usually that hard.

What is going on? My legs are tired. I've been sick. I had fried food at lunch (some, not too much, and it wasn't a stomach issue like I've had before.) I feel like it was my legs. Not in my head. I also had a really stressful day at work. I was sobbing at the end of the day after two people were super rude to me in a meeting and I got upset or told to be something stupid we already agreed I didn't have to do. I haven't cried that hard at work in awhile. I thought a fast run might help work things out, but my legs weren't cooperating. 

Lunch. Tacos + guac + friends

Bday present: New roller

Friday: yoga

Did 30 minutes of yoga. My calves are spent. 

I also went to the Lululemon outlet. I got a new short sleeve swiftly, a yoga bra, a tank top, a sweater and a long sleeve top. :) 

Outlet mall shopping: Picked up a new pair for Nike Pegasus for $59

Saturday: Long run

I did 9 miles at the IM Fields. It was gorgeous out. It was in the 60s (so perfect running weather). The wisteria was blooming. I saw lots of cute dogs. It's hard to be in a running funk when it's so perfect to run. I had an OKAY run. My legs weren't tired. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WEEKS. I got a tad bored of doing loops. I would have liked to do Cook's Trail, but didn't want to do that one by myself. 

Sunday: Speed redo

My legs felt OK so I tried for some speed work so I could have one successful workout this week. 

Four miles at race pace was on my training plan. I headed out to a nearby track (not the university track since I was trying to change it up). I should add this track measures long so I went by my Garmin. (Since everyone's watch measures it long). I did my warmup. The weather was nice. 

Mile 1: 7:24

Mile 2: 7:44. Mile 1 felt great so I was overconfident. I didn't look at my watch and messed up my time. Interesting that this is the hard speed my body defaults to when I'm not watching my watch

Mile 3: 7:33. Trying to find the right speed without working harder than necessary

Mile 4: 7:24. I pushed it but had enough in the tank. 

I ended up being 7 seconds over time. Which is pretty darn close. I've had one better 4 mile workout and that was indoors. This was a better workout. And I wasn't too spent afterwards. It is good to know that I have to watch my watch, because 7:44 is my default hard but not thinking pace. I have to force my legs to turn over more for 7:30s. 

Runs this week: 5

Miles this week: 27

Workouts this week: yogax4

When I try to do yoga, this guy is everywhere.
Usually under my downward dogs or biting my toes.

Lake Chapman 5k (Trail 5k)

This morning I ran the Lake Chapman 5k.

Beautiful morning for a run. 

Let me preface this with

1. I am sick. I woke up sick Tuesday and have been running through whatever this is. 

2. I did my normal training and it was a tough training week.

Tuesday hill repeats, Wednesday 6 hilly miles, Thursday mile repeats, Friday long run. So I'd run my 24 miles (what I run in a normal week) before coming to the course. 

No taper. I rested Saturday and that was it. 

I wanted to run under a 26 minutes for the race. I did a 26 minute trail 5k last year. But it wasn't in me today. My legs would not move. 

Pre-race

Mile 1: I thought should be about 7:30 so I held back the first half mile and then I couldn't speed up. There's a hill about .7 mile in. First mile was 8:49. Which was way too slow but there was a giant hill. (I passed a girl on this hill. I've run with this girl before. She always goes out in front of me and finished WAY behind me) 

Mile 2: I couldn't get my legs to match the pace I wanted them to go. I was trying so hard. 9:08 (And another big hill)

Mile 3: 7:45. The last half mile was on the road and I didn't look at my watch. I was just hanging on. I felt like I was running another 9 minute mile. It hurt. But I wanted to catch that girl in front of me and didn't want to let anyone pass me. I didn't let anyone pass me.

And my last .2 mile was 6:39 pace.

I finished 8th overall. Fourth place woman. Two ladies from the racing team got 1 and 2. And I never caught the girl in front of me who was in my age group, so I got second in my age group. 

 I was happy with the last bit of the race. That when I was on roads I could run close to what I wanted on tired legs. And that last mile always hurts the most. I couldn't have done anymore. My legs were trashed afterwards. (And so sore Monday and Tuesday).

Spent at the end of the race. 

I could have run faster had I not been sick or tapered some. 

It was a beautiful day to run. I think I ran the best I could. And now I just really want a fast race after a few slower races. 

Took picture of the 15k after my race.

Finish line mug (instead of a medal)

Post race splurge. I rarely eat fried food but this was amazing. 

How to recover from a half marathon

It's been a week since my trail half marathon. I didn't think it would take me this long to recover but it did. It took me a solid week.

I googled how long it should take to recover from a half marathon a lot.

I thought since I was kind of counting the run as my long run for the week and didn't go especially fast that I'd be fine just like after a long run. But it took me longer to bounce back and that's fine. I thought it would take 2-3 days, like maybe a serious runner. But apparently I fell closer to *casual* runner in terms of recovery. I like to think that I'm tough. Maybe I'm just not as tough as I want to be.

After the race
After the race, I changed out of my wet clothes as soon as possible. I put on compression sleeves. I walked around some and stretched. I wasn't really hungry but I forced myself to eat a packet of trail mix. And eventually I remembered to drink water. I took two small cups of gatorade. I drove home (stopped and got a sandwich and forced myself to eat half) and kept walking around. Since I had to walk the dog and get ready for a board meeting.

At maybe 4 hours after the race, I started to feel really sick. I was shaking. I was having some GI issues. I couldn't breathe. I downed two huge cups full of water and felt better. I forced myself to eat the other half of the sandwich (and still wasn't hungry). I rolled my legs out.

My calves started cramping up a tad that night at the board meeting from all the sitting. I rolled more.

The day after

My toenails have never hurt this much in my life. It was so painful.

I knew at mile 8 that I was going to have blisters or toenail issues. I pounded those uphills and downhills and felt it. I knew I could run another 4 miles so it wasn't an issue. I ended up with one blood blister on a toenail that was already black before the race. I drained the blister after the race and didn't have any more blisters. Just the black toenails. Two of which turned purple a few days after the race. Not immediately. In retrospect, I should have laced my shoes better. Because my shoes were the right size, and I wore good socks (so I didn't get more blisters), it was just all of the hills.

But the day after, I soaked my feet in epsom salt and it was amazing. (I've done this most days since). I soaked my feet and put ointment and bandaids on my toenails.

My legs felt fine. I went on a walk.  I did some yoga. I took it easy. Had a headache and made sure to drink plenty of water.

Two days later. 
That Monday, I felt like I should run to shakeout my legs. But I was super busy and tired. So I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike to get things moving.

(I did NOT want to wear shoes). I had a headache and forced myself to drink water most of the day.

Three days later

That Tuesday, I did 4 easy miles. I did have to stop a few times. It wasn't a great run, but I felt like I needed to get things moving.

Four days after

Wednesday. I felt bad for missing Tuesday speed work, so I tried to do some speed. My training plan had 4 miles at race pace. Which is in the 7:25-7:30 range.
Mile 1: 7:36.
Mile 2: 7:45.

I couldn't hit the goal pace. And I felt tired. So I took a break and walked 200 meters after the first two miles.

Mile 3: 7:42
Mile 4: 7:29

So I hit a total of one mile at goal pace. One.

It was weird. My legs didn't feel tired, the way my legs usually feel tired. I've run on tired legs. But the run felt weird. Nothing hurt. Towards the end of the run, my thighs felt a little like jelly. Just my thighs. They were moving, but not as fast as I wanted. Nothing hurt. I was just working really hard for what should come fairly easily.

I'm telling myself that putting in the work counts for something. That ALMOST FAST miles are better than no miles?

Five days after.
Thursday. I usually take Thursday off. I was a tad busy, so I did 20 minutes on the exercise bike and 20 minutes worth of core.

Six days after

It was a glorious day. The weather was warm (perfect) and the sky was blue. It was the perfect day for a run. My plan was to do my long run—8 miles.

Mile 1 was sluggish. At mile 2, I fell. And while I usually get right back up. I sat there for maybe 90 seconds not wanting to get up. I eventually did. And then went to the bathrooms. It was hot so I wanted water. The water fountains had been taken out of the bathrooms. At mile 3, I knew I wasn't doing 8. I finished 4 and then eked out five miles. I stopped a lot during the run. It was an awful run.

My legs didn't feel tired the way they usually feel tired. My body was just screaming to stop. In retrospect, I ran it like when I've run when I'm sick. Like I don't have enough energy. So I ran five miles and was completely discouraged. At this point, I haven't had a good run 2+ weeks.

Seven days later
I was supposed to run in the morning. Before going to two birthday parties. But I really didn't have time to get in a run before leaving at 9. So I skipped my run. I should have done it after the two parties. But I'm always drained after being around people that much. So I took a nap and decided my legs could use another day of rest. I did some exercise bike and abs (and soaked my feet, like I've done almost every day this week).

Day 8
My legs finally felt normal and it was a good run. FINALLY.

So it took a week to recover from the trail half. It's okay to rest. It's okay to take it easy on your legs. I'm glad I got through that.

Workouts this week: 4 runs, 2 exercise bike, 2 core workouts, 1 yoga
Miles this week: 19