Week 4 ~ Hit by a truck ??

This week has been tough!   I've met the line of working enough and working too hard.  Here's how my week played out....


Tuesday ~ 5 Miles sub 9's
Actual ~ 5 Miles @ 8:42P

Although the sun was shining, the winds were brutal.  I worked a bit harder than I should have to keep up the pace, but I wasn't about to let it get me down.  I win  :)



Thursday ~ 5-6 Miles with Hills
Actual ~ 5.5 w/ 4.2 miles of it being in the Mt. Hope Cemetery

I did three 1.4 mile loops in the cemetery, and then meandered my way through the neighborhood home.  I shall add that coming home is uphill.  Doing loops of any kind can play tricks with the mind.  It went a little something like this...

First loop..."I'm going to kill this this workout"
Second loop..."Man this sucks, maybe I can finish two and call it good"
Loop three..."Come on Jen, just make it around one more time and we're homeward bound"
End of Third Loop..."Maybe I can make a smaller loop to round it off to 5 miles" 

"NO, stick to the plan Stan!"   So glad I did because running through that place kicks my @ss!



Saturday ~  11 Miles Easy
Actual ~ 11 Miles Slow, nothing easy about it.

As much as I KNOW how much attitude plays into a run, I still couldn't get past the drudgery I was about to face before leaving the house.  Sure, I planned well for hydration and loaded up with two gu's, but mentally I just couldn't shake the uncertainty of the road conditions or the tightness in my quads from Thursdays hill workout.  I set out telling myself to just take it easy, run a pace that feels comfy.  I didn't think I'd have such a hard time after a warm up mile or two.  Six miles in my legs were complete toast...numb...moving yet not connected to my body or brain whatsoever.  Starting mile 10, I was miserable and grumpy, hating life and cursing the universe.  What a far cry from last week huh?   Getting home I was glad that I hung in there and toughed it out.  It's just one of those runs that comes along every so often to humble me....I get it.  I'm pretty sore, but nothing sticks out as alarming which is good.  It's done...it counts...Yay!



Weekly total ~ 21.5



When it's all said and done, I feel really beat up!  I can't imagine why???   It's not like I increased the distance and intensity of my "easy" run, or did a  killer hill workout, or added mileage to my long run making it the longest to date....all in the same week.   Oh wait...

I'm in the process of consulting with my coach about revising my plan.  :)

With that kids...we have 4 WEEKS to go!!!

Blessings,

Jen B.

P.S.  There's nothing like a piece of humble pie to keep your head out of the clouds!