A Case of the Lazies

Do you ever just feel like you don't want to run anymore?  I mean, I know this is something I shouldn't talk about, lol, but lately I have had this lazy feeling like that.  Like, sometimes I feel like running takes up a lot of my free time, when I could be doing "funner" things like hanging out with friends, watching football games, going to the mall, etc.  I'm sure most all of you who run regularly have to frequently tell friends/family you can't do something because you "have" to run.  They just don't understand, then I get asked why I just don't run tomorrow.  Haha!  I am running tomorrow, too!  Sorry.  I run 5 days per week, if I take an extra day off, I'm screwed and can't get my mileage in.  They just don't understand.  Anyways, I have been forcing myself out the door lately, against my will.  I have a half marathon to run November 1st, and I'm not just laying down and giving up because I don't "feel" like running.  I need to tough it out.  I know I will get out of this rut, it just really sucks while you're in it.  I'm so incredibly lucky to have friends on here and on dailymile to keep me going.  Thanks guys!

I ran a tempo run yesterday evening.  It was terrible.  Maybe I wouldn't have this "I don't want to run: feeling if my runs were good.  I was to run a 1 mile warmup, 4 miles at 9:35, and a 1 mile cooldown.  I could only manage 3 miles at tempo pace.  I think I took too much time off and ran too many lower mileage weeks since I tapered before the race the last week of August.  That pace seemed much too difficult yesterday, when just 3 weeks ago, I would've killed that!  My confidence definitely dropped yesterday.  I'm hoping that I bounce back pretty quick.  I'm sure I will after a few speed/tempo runs.  I'm supposed to run 10 miles today, but my Mountaineers are playing an evening game and it's hot and humid outside.  I might run it tomorrow morning.  If the sun goes away, I will TRY to get outside by 6:00 this evening so I can run and watch the game.  This chair is just so comfy!

Running stats:
Total miles: 6
Time: 1:02
Ave pace: 10:15

Let the tapering begin!!

So, I had been contemplating on my big 10 mile tempo run.  I was supposed to run it Thursday, but it got pushed back because I was lazy on Tuesday and didn't run.  I got an email from a local running club wishing us good luck and reminding us to "tank up and start tapering."  It said "You can not make any more gains and can only hurt your chances for a good race".  I have read this type of advice before, but it was a reminder I didn't expect.  I began to wonder if a 10 mile tempo run would be too much a week out from the race.  I've never run a race like this before and have no experience tapering.  With that advice, on top of being a little burned out, I decided I would still do the tempo run, but not 10 miles.  I settled for 6 miles.  I'm glad I did that because at the end, my knees were rather sore.  The weather was nice out, just a little humid.  I forgot my iPod, so that stunk.  Overall, I wasn't really feeling the run, but I got it in.  So, now I'm going to sit back and enjoy my taper.  I have three small runs scheduled before Saturday's race.  I have two easy 3 mile runs and a 5 mile tempo run scheduled next week, followed by 2 days of rest and then the race.  That sounds pretty good to me!  My legs feel a little sore from all these weeks of training.  I should be fresh and ready to go come next Saturday!  I'm going to enjoy eating pasta this week, hahah.  Mmmm, Olive Garden!

Running stats:
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 59:48
Ave pace: 9:58; tempo splits: 9:33, 9:24, 9:22, 9:16
Ave HR:  166

Short tempo run and prep for the 5k

Yesterday I was scheduled to run a tempo run - 6 miles total, 4 miles @9:50. I debated on whether or not I should do this run because of the 5k that I have today. I didn't want to overdo it the day before a race. Good thing is the race is an evening event, starting at 7:30PM. So, I decided to go ahead with the tempo run, but just cut it short. I was running out of daylight also, so I kind of had to cut it short. I ended up doing a 1 mile warmup, 3 miles @ 9:50-ish, and about a 1 lap cooldown, for a total of 4.33 miles. I actually ran the tempo part faster than I was supposed to, as you can see in my splits. I felt really strong throughout the run, which I ran at the local high school track. I hope that I saved enough for the 5k tonight.

One thing I am worried about is what to eat today and when to eat. This will be the first evening 5k I have ever run. Most 5k's are early in the morning. I always skip breakfast and just sip a little water before the morning 5k. If I eat something, even 2 hours before, I end up getting horrible side stitches during the race, and that really stinks. I guess I'm going to try and eat something light around 4:00 and hopefully it won't come back to haunt me during the race in the form of a side stitch. I'm shooting to run the 5k in 27:30, which is a pace of 8:51 min/mile. My PR so far is 27:55, which is a pace of 9:00 min/mile. I hope I'm not setting my goal too high. I have felt very strong this week, so I'm hoping that will continue.

Tempo run stats:
Distance: 4.33 miles Splits: Mile 1 - 11:07
Time: 43:55 Mile 2 - 9:45
Ave pace: 10:08 Mile 3 - 9:44
Ave HR: 165 Mile 4 - 9:34
Calories burned: 515

Next run: Tonight's 5k
Total miles this week: 19

My not so tempo run

I was scheduled for a 6 mile tempo run yesterday. Coming off my easy 2 miler from the evening before, I thought I could knock this run out. I felt so amazing on my 2 mile run, like I was superwoman, haha. I did the 2 miler at about 9:00PM the night before, then the Wii Active, finishing my working out at about 10 or 10:30 give or take. I woke up in the morning to run at 8:00. Starting off, my legs felt heavy. I noticed that my breathing didn't feel right and I was having a hard time. I just couldn't get into a groove. Then, there was road work on the Boulevard on a bridge, so I had to take a detour around. It was bad. I plain stunk. I think that I started off too fast, still on my high from the run the night before. I was supposed to warm up at about an 11:30 min/mile pace for 1 mile, run 4 miles at a 9:40 pace, then a mile cooldown at the 11:00 min/mile pace. My splits are as follows:

Mile 1: 11:02
Mile 2: 9:53
Mile 3: 10:06
Mile 4: 10:01
Mile 5: 11:13
Mile 6: 11:51

I was close to my pace the first 2 miles, but completely fell off after that, having to stop and walk several times throughout the whole run. It was really ridiculous. I mean, I couldn't even keep my normal pace! It was just a terrible run, but I'm not going to let it get me down. Runners just have bad days, and they are completely unexplainable. From now on, I'm not going to do a full workout the night before an early run. And, I HAVE to make sure I'm hydrated enough. I think that may have been an issue, too. I'm not going to let this get me down. I have a 5 mile race tomorrow morning, so I'm going to take today as an off-day, or I may get some core training in. I'm running the Run for Your Life 5 mile Race, part of the Smoke on the Water Chili Cookoff. It's supposed to be difficult, running up Spring Hill Cemetary. I'm going to take it easy and not kill myself. Hopefully, it will be a good day.

Run stats:
Total distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:04:09
Ave pace: 10:41
Calories burned: 707

Next run: 5 mile Run for Your Life race in the morning
Total miles for the week: 16

Tempo run and a doughnut

Yesterday was National Doughnut Day. You've gotta love Twitter for such useless information. Actually, my husband made fun of me for knowing it was National Doughnut Day, but nonetheless he took me to Donut Connection to get some doughnuts. I told myself that I was allowed to eat a chocolate-iced cream-filled doughnut after my tempo run, and to reward myself for my first three weeks of training.

On Thursday I went to Zumba to get some cardio in after work. I tell you what, Zumba is no joke. I have noticed a nice difference in my body after adding 2 Zumba classes this week. An hour of that class and I'm sweating as if I just ran 5 miles. After Zumba, my friend Keely and I hit up a Mexican restaurant and ate vegetarian fajitas and rice. We skimped on the tortilla chips, trying to be good. She's been a vegetarian for 15 years, and I love vegetables so it's nice to eat out with her. I feel like I'm eating healthier.

So, back to my tempo run and doughnut. I ran a little over a mile from a local church to the high school track, then ran 3 miles at a 9:45 min/mile pace, then ran back to the church. It was wet outside, but not raining. The run felt great. I used to dread running around a track. The idea of running 4 laps, much less 12, used to be so daunting. Now I can knock it out no problem. After my run, my husband and I went out to O'Charley's for dinner. I had salmon, rice, a side salad, and half a roll. And yes, I still ate my doughnut when I got home!

I was looking forward to yesterday's run because it was the last run of the week, and next week is a recovery week. I just have to run 3 days next week, 4 mile easy runs. Well, I do have a 5k next Saturday, but that will be fun. I get to run with a cop, lol. I feel like I need a little break, though. Training for a big race can wear you out, and I definitely don't want to overtrain and get injured or burned out. I'm not used to this consistent training, so my body is like, 'what are you doing to me??' I know I can do it though! Three weeks down, 13 more to go!

Next run: Sunday - 4 mile easy run

Total miles for this week: 15