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May 28, 2006
Uninspired
In a way, I'm glad that running-blogs.com has been having technical difficulties, because I've felt wholly uninspired to write. This week has been mightily exhausting from a running persepctive. I don't know why it's so danged painful to get back up to 50 miles a week. I feel like a weak little schmuck just shuffling my way through runs with tired, flat legs, huffing and puffing much more than I should be.
This week was 52 miles, including a 12 mile long(er) run, a 10K race run as a workout, 7 runs in 6 days, 1 road bike ride, and 1 day of rest. It's humbling to run stuff that seemed easy 6 weeks ago, and to have it feel so difficult now.
The 10K race was entertaining and somewhat ridiculous. The town's streets were literally flooded ankle-deep and it was pouring rain the whole time. The temperature hovered a few degrees above freezing during the race. I got so cold, even while racing, that I had to ask an acquaintance to untie my shoelaces at the end because my hands were frozen. I climbed in my car, shed off all my clothes, and sat in front of the heater blue-lipped and in a full-body shiver for a while. I ran pathetically, but that was to be expected after contining to ramp up my miles and feeling like tired poo all week. My goal was to run at half-marathon pace, but I didn't even sustain that. Part of it was Noah's flood with all the water and debris in the streets, but most of it was my lack of fitness. Somehow, though, I still managed to win, but I think that was because the weather was so foul that most people were still curled up warm in bed.
This entry is engulfed by self-degredation of one kind or another. Though this week was a little disappointing, I'm not going to sweat it at all. I'm going to gut it out this feeling of fatigue because it's bound to feel easier in a few more weeks.
Posted by Meghan at May 28, 2006 12:33 PM
Comments
I am impressed with your mileage! As always - more mileage = fatigue and feelings of lethargy but they always pay off. Hang in there. I will be excited to hear all about how you'll reap the rewards of your hard work!
Posted by: Beth at May 28, 2006 6:36 PM
Thanks for the reminder to get *on* my butt and blog. You have been very prolific lately!!! I have a lot of catching up to do on my reading!
Posted by: jenandmats at May 30, 2006 6:51 AM
Dear Meghan, a bit of insipration for you. This last very-sunny, stunning-weather weekend was dedicated to "family" running. On Saturday we went to play diagonals on the track near our home in Cortona, Tuscany. On Sunday my wife and I took the kids on their bikes along the canals on tobacco plantations in Montalla with me running after them. My daughter and her cousin (5 and 8) know how to pedal well. But my 3-y-old has this pedal-less bike which is really cool (he has become, alas, fearless and already knows how to keep his balance even at high speeds.) When he gets tired he just lifts his feet up and I push him along, running with my hand between his shoulder blades. So this way we can do a lot together which is nice. It was a major workout which lasted for about an hour under the hot sun. Then Monday we went to the beach in Ostia, on the outskirts of Rome, (nothing spectacular but functional with nice clean, sea air) and did a fast barefoot workout on the beach (35 minutes) with some tough head wind. And in the afternoon a good friend asked me to go running with him to psyche him up a little, so I ended up doing an hour with him at medium pace: an unplanned double for the day (the last time was 21 years ago...) And Tuesday was recovery day, so I took a nice long walk in the park with some stretching and exercises. Go for it. Corrado
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at May 31, 2006 7:32 AM
inspiration...
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at May 31, 2006 7:33 AM
52 miles with a long run of 12? wow...that's tough to pull off! remember that the high mileage weeks will get easier as your long run gets longer.
good luck and watch out for the ark!
Posted by: jeff at June 1, 2006 12:14 PM