The Magical Run...That Wasn't

I was in such a good run of early morning workouts, and lately I have just been needing my sleep! School is back in session, Hubs and I are wholly responsible for a new youth cross country program, and work is getting more demanding.

I knew I should have been up and out in the morning, but I procrastinated til the afternoon. Despite a nice cool, rainy day Saturday it was hot and humid. But mid-80's isn't bad compared to the summer temps!

I also new I was under-hydrated. I had not made drinking a water a priority over the busy weekend. And so far that day all I had was iced coffee. Not the smartest.

I headed out with my hydration belt, excited to check out a new trail and to not push the pace. It was hot and I was sweating quickly! After two and a half miles, I reached the trailhead and turned on to it. It was shaded, and every once in a while it caught a nice breeze off the water. I wasn't entirely feeling the groove but was determined to just stick with it.

And then it happened.....the elusive runners high! The trees popped in beauty, my legs were totally in sync with the Blink 182 blaring from my iPod, and running was magical. Literally, I looked like an idiot running with the biggest grin on my face.



I reached my turn around point feeling pretty good......and within a mile and a half it completely tanked. The worst part was that I didn't have any of my nagging aches or pains - my legs felt great, but a usually easy pace felt so hard, and I just couldn't will myself to keep running. At mile nine, I decided to run/walk. 1 minute walking, 3 minutes running. I was able to hold a 10 min pace with this for a little over a mile, and then I had a mile uphill. My walking stretches got longer, and running stretches got shorter.

I got within a mile of my house and was determined to finish it running. Two blocks short of my house I had to walk it in.

I was breathing really hard (at a 9:15 pace), and all I could do was think about the Gatorade in my fridge. And the fact that my legs were numb. It wasn't pretty.



Liar. Clearly, I was pretty much dying.

While I'm disappointed in my poor preparation and planning, it's definitely a lesson learned. I'm glad I at least ran enough of the last 4 miles to maintain an 11:54 pace (9:15 pace the first 9 miles).

And that magical runners high? I suspected once I bonked that it was some sort of last rush of fuel going through my veins. After talking to a running friend and the Hubs, that appears to be the case.

Damn!