Weeble Wobble

I'm ready for a nap or for a massage or something because today was my most grueling workout yet.

Maybe it was because I was tired all weekend, not getting enough sleep. Or that my legs felt stiff and puffy yesterday. Or that I hadn't run for 2 days when I was supposed to run yeterday. Whatever the reason, it was hard work.

The Run
7 Minute Run. Looks like a lot to me, but I just went for it, no problem. When I did my recovery walk, I only needed 5 minutes to make it up to the top of the big hill.

9 Minute Run. Started off well. As I got to the bottom of the hill, it suddenly dawned on me that there was a slight incline all the way up to almost my next run start. So I thought, what is better; a long, slight incline or one big hill? I prayed through the Lord's Prayer again and was 2 minutes short and still going up that incline. The street is a busier one and I felt very self conscious with my crippled turtle run. I slowed to a fast walk for a block and then got on the straightaway and did another 30 second run. I only managed to do about 8 minutes and my legs were rubber.

6 Minute Run. I walked the 4 minutes and went past the start of the run to the next street and back - my first route increase! The last 6 were fairly easy and I actually went 6 3/4 to make up a little for the previous run. I could've kept going, but I needed my recovery walk time. As it was, I only had 2-3 minute of that.

When I was done, I was ready to crawl back into bed. I managed to stumble around and get ready for work but my husband just looked at me and shook his head.

I think I'll change up my route for Wednesday. Right now, it's like a weird Y shape. So I'll take the right side of the Y first and have my long run on more of the straight and decline areas. I really hope the 5K doesn't have too many big hills.

The Looming 5K
I was looking at my training schedule and realized that I only have TWO WEEKS to really prepare for the 5K. The week before I put in fun short fartlek runs to taper down to it. Do I need to taper for my 5k? I'm not sure, but it sounda like a good idea.

I really don't know if I'm going to be ready for this. Can I really do it when I couldn't run 9 minutes today? My 2 mile run seems so small compared to what I'm going to need to do. Why didn't I sign up for the Turkey Trot 5K and give myself another month?

But maybe, I'd be like this no matter when the 5k was. Sort of like cramming for a final. I always did this! Would have fun on the journey and then all of a sudden have to get serious and knuckle down. The sooner this is over with, the sooner the pressure is off and I can run just for fun again. Not that this isn't fun sometimes, but if every morning was like this, I probably wound't be a runner.

Comments

You probably will be able to get through a 5K -- at least with some combination of run/walking -- but the question is, what for, and why? And how do you want to get through it and how do you want to feel about it how you got through it afterward? Do you want to finish just to finish any old way you can? Do you want to do it a certain way and look back and see you accomplished what you wanted to?

You are most likely going to do a 5K some day, because progress will come if you stick with it as consistently as you have been, so does it have to be this one, and if so, why?

A couple of times in my life, I used an event as something to help motivate me to get out there and train. On the one hand, it keeps you on schedule to know you have an event as a goal, but on the other hand, it puts pressure and time limits on what you are trying to achieve.

At least two times those pressures and time limits caused me to advance sooner than I should have and I ended up with injury issues that set me back big time.

Each person has to figure out his/her own body and what it is ready for. Sometimes just going ahead and trying it and seeing what happens is part of gaining experience. Sometimes there is no way to "know" until after the fact.

Whatever you decide, I'll be rooting for you!