Week 12 / The Long Run Madness

It’s so strange to me to be in the running pattern I seem to be in lately – that being intervals are my friend and the long run is my foe. I used to dread intervals, so much so I’d have anxiety on Monday for Wednesday’s interval sessions. I’d literally lie awake at night, worried I wasn’t going to make my mark or pass out mid-way with some sort of head explosion embolism due to lack of oxygen. Funny, cuz I always survived, best I can tell anyway, and actually can only recall one time that I had to cut a workout short for not feeling up to par. But the long run was always my baby. I loved it. I loved going out there for hours and just run. Run and run and run and runandrunandrunandrun! I loved how it gave me time with my inner self; it was detox for my soul, my emotional chiropractor to click back into proper perspective.

I don’t know what’s up with the ole switch-a-roo but I can tell you that lately, my speed work is over the top incredible but I can count the number of long run over 18 miles I’ve done in the past several months where I felt like celebrating. Not even a simple smile on my face. Even last summer while training for Portland and then Tucson, my long run felt forced, difficult, far far far off the pace and the mark where I need it to be. Sunday was just such a case – again! My friend, Jim, met me for the last 18 miles of my last long, 21-miler. When he met me at mile 3 (he wanted a few miles less than me, he’s not training for anything right now, just wants to remain in fabulous running condition…) he immediately asked me how I was doing. I’m certain I didn’t need to even utter a word, it was written in my body language – it just wasn’t happening. Ugh. I was up most of the night with my allergies, I’m frustrated with the excess lbs of weight I don’t want, my left hamstring was tighter than cello strings, my back’s been bothering me again, and just overall sense if blah. At mile 9, I was practically begging to turn around and go back, my legs were just achy and my back was starting to throb. But Jim wouldn’t let me (bless him!) and I trudged along, listening to him talk so that I could get my mind off the task at hand. At mile 16, my back was screaming so I stopped at the gas station, refueled the water bottle and applied some Icy/Hot to the ole back, which never does really help but it feels good to at least do something. The last 6 miles are that same, gradual uphill and my pace slowed to a pathetic crawl. I was done; I spent every last morsel of strength to get up that last stretch of a hill and end the run at 21.5. This long run is beginning to turn into my nemesis. I think after Boston, I'm putting the long run on a temporary time out until I can get my mind back into the mental game of this thing called long-distance running.

Ugh!

I don’t know what this means for Boston as I lie here each morning with a heating pad on my back but I have a feeling that it’s not going to end pretty there. Because I have no formal taper time beings I had not much mileage buildup, I’m not sure there’s a “peak” – which is where we all want our marathons to be at race time. Since Katie’s trying to petition Boston to be somewhere tropical, like Hawaii, I’m going to see if they’ll also sport a Boston-now-held-in-Hawaii 7x1 mile interval run instead of a marathon.

Though I’ve struggled for the past couple months finding a happy place with my running, running still takes me in, and continues to comfort, heal and challenge me in magical ways. I am forever grateful I am running Boston and am going to enjoy my experience there no matter what. My back my give out at mile 9 and I’ll have to walk the rest of the way, who knows, but I will never take my training for granted again! My “issues” right now are so petty compared to people like Meg, who have larger health concerns to tackle. I can run, maybe not where I want to right now, but I can run! Many cannot!!! know I can offer so much more to the sport that continues to consume me, but for now, it’s time to just get out there and give it whatever I have and be grateful I am running it and stop whining about my lack of perfect conditioning. Geeeeeez, get over it already, Jilly – suck it up!!!!!

So in other news…

I have not yet cleaned the bathroom while on spring break, I found the $ key under "symb" on my BB, I have not even looked at the Garmin manual nor have I even touched my resume. I did rake a bunch of leaves, which was not on my week off agenda. I'd say I'm doing well.

While Denver was facing amazing spring-like record-high temps in the 70’s, I was in the mountains enduring more snow and cold temps, to watch my boys ski and indulge in a little mountain sledding. I guess I’ll let it slide, since we actually had a really nice time and I did get to endure some of this lovely springtime weather yesterday before the next round of cold temps hit us this weekend. I’m going to see if Kathleen and Steve want to get a group discount admitting the 3 of us mental patients, sick of snow, to the psych hospital in Pueblo if we land more snow this season, which is quite possible. I’ve seen snow as last as mid-May here in Denver before (pic of the sledding hill in Breckenridge, ski area as the backdrop).

Had a great lunch with college daughter today and then in typical A.D.D. moments, left my wallet in her dorm room, only finding this little tidbit out an hour later after a cart full of groceries were scanned and bagged and I went to pay for them. Figured I had't shared my A.D.D moments in awhile so had to let you know that yes, they still occur on a regular basis.

My allergies were at an all-time high on Saturday and Sunday, giving me a PR of tissues used in a two-day period! What I won’t do for a PR!!!

Okay, heating pad back therapy session complete, though I’m still in pain (that’s not a complaint, that’s just a comment) so off for a little run.

Run strong!

Week 12 2010:
Week’s Running totals: 43.5
Running Total for 2010: 502.91
Weight training: 2
Swim: 1 (yes, I actually went to the pool on Saturday, believe it or not)