Bum Run

After 3 years of running, I feel like some days you are just bound to have a crap run. Mine was Saturday.

I should have known when I got up at 6:15 am and was really contemplating taking the 8:30 practice instead of the 7am. But since I could already tell it was going to be an extremely unbearable muggy day I hauled my butt to practice anyway.

On the schedule for the day? 14 miles.

14 miles in Central Park is pretty boring (I can't wait until Summer Streets when they open up Park Avenue for running. I need some variety in a bad way!) but Coach Christine suggested a very do-able lower 5 mile loop, plus an upper 5-mile loop going the other way and then a four mile loop in the middle. I was the only one pacing at 9:30s since Lauren had to make the later practice.

As soon as we started I was like "OUCH!" Yes, I had contemplated getting a new sportsbra after Tuesday nights practice, and was painfully reminded of this at the beginning of the run. I have no idea what the lifespan of lycra/spandex is, but I do know that I have some running gear that dates back to my cross-country days in high school. Whoops. There is no excuse for still having that.

I had also been plagued with stomach problems all week and that little jolt into my morning run was NOT helping. Oh yeah, and I also didn't have my GPS because I decided to drain the battery of it since it's been acting wonky. So I had Bill's low-tech $9 Walgreens watch and was basically pacing "by feel". But I felt like I was doing a 9:30. Besides, the 9:00 group was about 50 feet ahead of me (and steady) and the 10:00 milers were about 50 feet behind me (and steady).

I was feeling very blah though and had to keep mentally on track by reminding myself that I could stop for a long water/Gu/bathroom break after 5 miles.

By mile 3 a chatty girl from the group caught up with me to be chatty. I wasn't much in the mood to talk, so there were a lot of "uh huhs" and "totallys" but not much contribution on my part. I could also feel us picking up, and sure enough, by the end of the 5 mile loop we were on Coach Christine and the 9:00 milers tails. I was mean and cut across the transverse when we hit 72nd to take a bathroom break without telling anyone. I know this was crappy, but I didn't want anyone to wait for me because I just wanted to take it easy, not talk, and make it through the last 9 miles.

As I was heading up the east side again I started feeling really really tired. It was almost like I had been drugged or something. I felt like if I closed my eyes I would have fallen asleep right there, running. The first thing I thought was "Uh oh, symptoms of heat exhaustion." But I have had that before, and this was not it. This was more like I took some Tylenol PM and forgot that I did it, and went for a run.

Crazy.

I took a long walking break.

I started running again. (Each time I started after stopping I was reminded to buy a new sports bra.)

Then my stomach started being mean to me again...right as I was climbing Harlem Hill. That's when I threw up the white flag. In my mind I was like "Forget it. Forget it. Just do what you can. Finish the 5 mile loop, go back, get water, go to the bathroom, go home and go to bed. You can make the last mile and a half."

And I did. Run/walking for sure, but I made it.

10 miles in 1:40.

I have no idea how I maintained a 10 minute pace with all of those issues but I did. I'm actually ok with how my run netted out, considering. But I'm definitely looking forward to a GOOD 15 miler next Saturday.