Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Last week was all about disruptions, disruptions and then sickness. First I let weather affect me. Then I let a schedule disruption throw me off. Then I got sick. But I still ran the 5K race with Jimmy, because I had a commitment to make. And now trying to use that as a springboard to get back into things.
Boy I am ready for some heat! Looking out the window as 40+ Mph winds blow snow and dust all over the place. I am so tired of this, I am perfectly content to run in some 90 degree temps at this point. I will simply consign this to being a sign of aging but the weather has affected me more this year than I can recall in the past. Either way one of the reasons I have not ran as much this year has been weather: ice on the ground, wind etc.
Along with the weather the other thing that has thrown me off lately has been a lack of sleep. I have had some nights when I just could not get to sleep, due to a dinner soda or being cold or having a spinning mind or all 3. Which resulted in being too groggy to answer that early morning wake up for a run. This has been my own fault, as I have added a new social event to my life and have not yet figured out completely how to manage it.
And illness, I caught a stomach bug Thursday that was compounded by an eye problem on Friday. Led to me being stuck at home, hiding from the sun and bright lights. But that was not something within my control like adapting to the weather and handling my sleep better.
All of that meant that by Saturday morning I had every reason to not run in the race. I wasn't prepared having been out of training for too long. I hadn't eaten a decent meal in 2 days. My eyes were still bothering me. But I had a commitment, to myself and to my son. So I sucked it up (helped by overcast skies keeping the sun away) and ran the race.
I got my butt kicked. I had a decent pace the first 2 miles, but in the third mile I fell apart. When everyone (including Jimmy) was hitting it for their final kick to the finish line I was actually slowing down! I wasn't happy with my final time (just under 35 minutes.) Yeah, I know I should just be happy I did it, how many other people were just sitting on their couches or in restaurants being lazy while I ran. But I know I could have done better. Sure if I had not been fighting the sickness for 2 days and been running on a real diet I probably would have had more energy for that final kick and that was beyond my control.
But what was under my control was the lack of training and preparation. And my big take away from the performance is to use that feeling as the mental kick in the rear end to get moving, no more excuses for skipping a training session. Time to get out there and run again! And make smarter choices about the things I know will disrupt my schedule (If I am eating out, no caffeine for dinner for example.) And also time to get back to pushing myself, especially on the weekends. I know I have it in me, just have to push that part of me back to the surface again.
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