I haven't run since my 20 miler on Monday. The legs have been sore since then, but they never were too bad. It seemed more like a normal soreness, rather than an injured soreness. I should've biked yesterday, that might've helped loosen the legs up. However, I did nothing physical.
I couldn't sleep last night and I almost went for a tempo run at 1 AM. It was supposed to rain all day today, so I thought getting out of the way might be a good idea. I didn't feel all that great at the time though, so I passed on the idea.
It rained very heavy right before I went into work at lunchtime. Then things cleared up and it was dry most of the afternoon. I decided to head to Mill Race Park to run my tempo run. I was hoping to build upon the run two week ago, where I ran 4 straight miles at just over a 7 minute pace. I wanted to do 5 fast miles this time.
I started off heading toward Tatamy. The legs weren't sore, but they just felt so tight and stiff. Maybe some stretching would've helped. The pace said it was about 10:30 after a half mile. With how cloudy it was, I'm not sure the GPS was accurate, but I was definitely going slow.
Usually I can tell how good a workout will be based on how I feel during the warmup. Since I was going slow, I figured that it might be tough day. I was just glad that I chose to run a 2 mile warmup segment. I wasn't quite sure what to think of today.
Again, my legs just felt kind of different today. It seemed more like they would feel a few days after a 20 mile run, rather than the beat up soreness that has slowed my progress lately. At one point during the 2nd mile, I pushed the pace a little, just to see if the legs would go. They did and I backed off after a short distance.
When I finished up mile 2 and was into the fast part of the run I was already well on my way toward Penn Pump Park. I had to navigate around the closed gates in the new section, but I didn't have to stop much at road crossings today. That was a big plus.
I think the GPS was wrong early on in the fast segment. At one point, it said I was running under a 6 minute pace. I was going hard, but not that hard. It came back up and crept closer to a 7 minute pace. That was more realistic.
After about a quarter mile, I had been wondering how I would even be able to keep the pace for another few tenths of a mile. My legs just wouldn't go. There was no snap. They were dead.
Still, I continued to push on. I figured I might as well keep it up until my pace dropped. It was at 6:58 for awhile. The pace slid some, but not much more than 10 seconds as I approached this first fast mile. That mile ended up being a 7:08.
I was working way too hard at this point. My breathing was very heavy in addition to my legs bothering me. Actually, by now my legs didn't feel as bad. They were beginning to come around. I had just been pushing too hard though. I knew I couldn't sustain this effort for much longer.
I got to the end of the path about 1.25 miles into the tempo segment. I turned around and headed back. By now, I was really dying. For once, I stayed positive mentally and kept going. After all, my pace was about the same as the first hard mile. With the effort I was putting out though, I felt like I should've been running around 6:30. It just took so much work to get me going today.
There were some kids swimming in a pool next to the trail. They yelled "hi" the first time I went by. This time, I acknowledged them and yelled "hi" back. I was too focused on finishing this second fast mile to pay too much attention. I did finish that mile just before Penn Pump Park.
After two hard miles, there just was nothing left in the tank. I had pushed myself through a tough spot, but I didn't have it any more. Maybe I could've stretched this segment out a little farther if I was running with someone, but I doubt I could've put in much more. I gave a lot of effort and now it was time to listen to my aching legs and back off. There is no point in doing too much just a few days after a 20 miler.
Since I didn't run hard for very long, I opted for only a one mile cool down. I cruised along now. Even though it was only in the 70s, I was still sweating like crazy. My singlet was soaked and I took it off at this point. The cool down was okay, although I started to tightened up by the end of the mile. I was glad to be done.
I had to walk a mile back to the car. That gave me plenty of time to reflect. I feel a little better than I did a week ago at this time. The good thing about going through a tough patch like this is that hopefully I'll learn what doesn't work for me and I'll become a better runner in the long run. I'm open to experimenting and trying a lot different things. I definitely need to eat better and lose weight. That is a given. I lifted some weights with my legs after the run and hopefully I'll strengthen them. I never use weights, so I don't want to do too much with them.
I'm just so frustrated now. Friends post stuff on facebook all the time about being motivated and getting yourself out the door. That's never been my problem. It is figuring out how to run and feel great doing so. If my body was on the same page as my mind right now, I'd be logging 80-100 miles a week. Maybe one day I'll get there.
I expected my running to plateau or even decline at some point. However, I figured it would be after a few years of consistent running, not this soon. One of the biggest problems is that I try to compare 2010 me with the current me. I was ahead of schedule last fall, so I figured I'd just keep improving like I did in 2010 and by now I'd be better than I was at this point in the past. However, I have to accept the fact that this is a different me. This current runner with Crohn's Disease and on medication is not the same one as when I wasn't diagnosed yet back in 2010. That is certainly true when I consider that I'm probably about 30 pounds heavier right now than I was back then.
For now, I just have to experiment with what works and what doesn't work for the current me, not the past me or anyone else for that matter. Hopefully, I'll be able to look back on this period in a few months and years from now and say I learned a lot and that it was a big turning point.
Today's run wasn't quite what I had hoped for, but just a few days removed from the 20 miler and I'll take it. Tomorrow, I might do a short and easy run at Trexler. If I feel good on Saturday I might run long with the BCR. It would only be 13 miles or so, nothing as long as Monday.
5 miles - 41:45 (8:21 pace)
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