Long Run Recap
I decided to do my long run at a trail that looped around 3.8 miles and do around 4 loops. I did take a water break every 4 miles and stretched briefly; I used to think this was "cheating" in the past and that one wasn't a true runner unless they just kept going non-stop, but when I think about it--I plan on doing the same thing at the marathon where I plan on stopping at every/any water station. If my body hurts at all, I will listen to it and walk if I have to, instead of pushing through and possibly injuring myself. At this point, I'm not really concerned with a fast time, because I'm just a slow runner in general. My goal is to make it to the end and still feel somewhat strong.
The first two loops, I felt really good. Second loop really went by fast b/c I decided to listen to some music this time around. The third loop, I switched directions for variance, but that didn't seem to help much b/c I started feeling fatigued around this time. By the fourth loop, I definitely didn't feel as strong as the first two loops, and stopped quite a bit to walk off some knee pain. I finished in 2'58" which I am okay with, considering how many times I had to stop and walk. For the last four miles, the only thing that was on my mind was what I was going to eat afterward! I settled on Chipotle and came home as fast as I could so I could collapse onto the couch and rest my legs. While standing in line at Chipotle, my legs felt like they were melting into my feet--I've never felt that before. Has anyone else experienced that sensation after a long run? Basically, my legs took all they could today and were completely spent. Again, I keep asking myself, "if this felt like the max my body could absorb, how will I ever do more?" But didn't I ask myself that same question a few weeks ago when I did a half marathon? And today, when I reached the 13-14 mile mark, I felt fine. So I'm 90% sure it's in my head. I hope.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I missed two smaller runs last week. Rolling over runs, I know, isn't the way it works, but if my body feels okay, I may want to throw in a teeny tiny run.
A lot of my students are on spring break this week, so I'm teaching slightly less (but not by much, due to SO many requests for "makeups" later on in the week; I should write another post on makeup lessons and my hatred of them). Tomorrow, I'm only working for 3 or so hours, so at least I'll be coming home at a decent hour that will allow me to make dinner at a reasonable time.
That's it for now--time to catch the season finale of The Walking Dead!
The first two loops, I felt really good. Second loop really went by fast b/c I decided to listen to some music this time around. The third loop, I switched directions for variance, but that didn't seem to help much b/c I started feeling fatigued around this time. By the fourth loop, I definitely didn't feel as strong as the first two loops, and stopped quite a bit to walk off some knee pain. I finished in 2'58" which I am okay with, considering how many times I had to stop and walk. For the last four miles, the only thing that was on my mind was what I was going to eat afterward! I settled on Chipotle and came home as fast as I could so I could collapse onto the couch and rest my legs. While standing in line at Chipotle, my legs felt like they were melting into my feet--I've never felt that before. Has anyone else experienced that sensation after a long run? Basically, my legs took all they could today and were completely spent. Again, I keep asking myself, "if this felt like the max my body could absorb, how will I ever do more?" But didn't I ask myself that same question a few weeks ago when I did a half marathon? And today, when I reached the 13-14 mile mark, I felt fine. So I'm 90% sure it's in my head. I hope.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I missed two smaller runs last week. Rolling over runs, I know, isn't the way it works, but if my body feels okay, I may want to throw in a teeny tiny run.
A lot of my students are on spring break this week, so I'm teaching slightly less (but not by much, due to SO many requests for "makeups" later on in the week; I should write another post on makeup lessons and my hatred of them). Tomorrow, I'm only working for 3 or so hours, so at least I'll be coming home at a decent hour that will allow me to make dinner at a reasonable time.
That's it for now--time to catch the season finale of The Walking Dead!
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