“It’s important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in some way than you were the day before.”
That little gem came in my RW Quote of the Day email this morning. I needed that right now.
Yesterday wasn’t as successful as I hoped. I did a long run – yes. It wasn’t 16 miles – it was only 13 miles. It was incredibly hilly. This is what the elevation looked like…..
Needless to say, I was not really prepared for this. I had it in my head (because my running friend Mindy TOLD me it would be this way) that we were going to do a relatively flat run with some hills at the end. And if you’re a runner you’re looking at this and thinking…well the first part was all down hill….
See Miles 5 through 7?!?!?! It’s one giant hill.
The elevation for Steamtown (the Marathon I’m training for) looks like this:
I’m thinking I should be good to go??? What do you think?
All I know is I’m getting frustrated not getting the longer miles in. I stopped at 13 yesterday because my hip was KILLING me. First time in a LONG time that’s happened.
A few things I decided I will do this week – lessen the distance on my runs (keep them between 5 and 7 miles) but make them more quality. I will also plan to do a flat long run on Sunday. Probably two loops on the River….each loop is jut about 8.4 miles.
I’ll keep the hills and the speed work…but no more 13 mile or more hilly runs (I’ll probably do it again in September).
I was SO frustrated yesterday during my run. I was angry that it wasn’t the route I was expecting. I was annoyed that I couldn’t figure out how to find my usual pace. Everything threw me off.
I felt bad for Mindy and Ilya because I kept slowing them down. It was clear they wanted to go ahead of me. Mindy was super supportive and helpful. I even doubted that I would BQ. I get down on myself SO quickly when physically I am breaking down. Anyone else?
I need to refocus.
The joys I experienced yesterday and today even are that I am now incredibly keen on how I need to recoup when it comes to finishing long runs.
Sometimes I’ll take an ice bath – most times I’ll just shower all the sweat off – put on my compression socks or sleeves and walk around a bit. I also drink a TON of water right after and throughout the day. I’ve mentioned how much I sweat – yesterday was no exception despite the cooler temps.
Today is a rest day. I feel like I could use a good stretch – so I might pop into a yoga class later and/or go for a swim at school. No matter, I am channeling my energy into the right things today…..
What do you do to refocus?
How do you recover from long runs? Ice bath? Sleep?
John “The Penguin” Bingham, Going with the Flow, The Penguin Chronicles Archive
Katie Fitz is Fit 