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August 8, 2007
Do you ever feel like dead weight?
My legs screeched to a screaming halt last week. They literally felt like dead weight . . . hence, a minor freak out. I started to wonder if I was over-training, if I was destined to crawl backward and get slower, if I was doomed to fail as a runner. Sure, I am being dramatic, but I really did freak out! I have adapted to seeing a linear progression since I started running again last November - my times were moving South while my confidence was driving North. Not so last week.
Of course, H. intervened and reassured me that I had to trust the program and push through my death; a great resurrection awaits! (Okay, I'm being dramatic again). The past 4 weeks my mileage has been 61, 63, 65, 60 - believe it or not, this is a huge mileage breakthrough for me; to my legs, this is "high" mileage (Arthur Lydiard just rolled over in his grave . . . ). I need to keep in perspective that my mileage is almost all quality as well. I am running 6 days/week, all singles, 3 workouts/week, and a long run on Sunday. On Tuesdays we run a total of 10-12 miles with 7 @ tempo pace; on Thursdays we usually run 400s or 800s with only 30 seconds rest; and Saturdays we endure pure strength runs at a fast pace - these include anything from ladders on the track to tempo hill runs.
This week is a slight cutback week because I am racing a half marathon on Sunday. I am not tapering for this race, and I am not as confident rolling into this one as I was when I ran my giant PR in June. I don't know if I will replicate a 1:23 even though I should ideally be in 1:21 - 1:22 shape right now. I'm just so darn tired, and the high heat and humidity we are facing in Chicago cannot be discounted. I tend to run well in heat, but I do not run as well in 85% humidity. YUCK.
I am nervous - I just don't want this half to discourage me from gunning it at the big dance in October. This is just a casual dress rehearsal, right? I hope so. The miles are in the bank. I have been working extremely hard. Now I just need to show up on race day and get the job done :)
On a completely non-running related note, I have stepped down from my editing job at Her Active Life. The University of Illinois-Chicago offered me a full time lectureship (with amazing benefits and a 401K!) to teach freshman rhetoric and composition. My old self would have juggled both jobs, which would have resulted in me neglecting my running. I can't do that anymore. I need to focus and prioritize. I have a real shot to take my running to a new level and I need to allow my body the proper rest in order to get there. This means that I need to sleep more than 3-4 hours/night! I am teaching 4 classes so I will have about 100 students - they should keep me PLENTY busy! I think I might teach Naomi Klein's No Logo and supplement it with chapters and articles from all sorts of polemical cultural critics. After all, we live in a McWorld.
Just for Kicks: A picture of my twin sister's new surf board! She is my inspiration!
Posted by bridget at August 8, 2007 8:14 PM