That's how I'm feeling right now. It's 5:45 in the morning. I've had my first cup of coffee. I can *barely* keep my eyes open.
It all started last night. I had an eight mile general aerobic run on the schedule. I wasn't pushing too hard. Just a nice run. Heart rate was low in the aerobic range. It was cool out. Everything was going well. I got the "out" portion of the run done and turned around to head back.
Hmm. No wonder everything seemed so perfect. I had been running with the wind at my back. Okay - no problem. Put my head down and push a little harder. My Garmin was telling me that my heart rate was at 3.1 - low in the aerobic range. So no problem if I cranked my heart rate up to a 3.4 or 3.5 (aerobic range on my Garmin is set to anything between 3 and 4). I pushed a little harder through miles 5 and 6. Then it happened. A feeling I haven't had in about a year. The last time this happened was about mile 17 in a little jog I took last June. I was done. Toast. Empty. Nothing left in the tank. (I'm trying to come up with a few more trite analogies, but I'm drawing a blank).
The last two miles were *really* tough. I kept my legs moving, but each step seemed like I was lifting concrete shoes. It felt like I was working *really* hard. My heart rate was still down though, and I wasn't breathing exceptionally hard. I had just run out of fuel. I so wanted to give up and walk it in. But, I kept putting one foot in front of the other and my legs moving. I ended up completing the run in 1:19:02 (9:54 pace) and an average heart rate of 76% of max. But I was spent. I had to collect myself before driving home.
The real comedy started when I got home though. Obviously what I had done is just not eaten enough during the day. I was *ravenous*. I grabbed some dinner (BBQ'd Tri tip, wild rice, steamed veggies). I sat down, turned on the Cavs/Magic game, and promptly fell asleep! That's right folks - down for the count at 7:30 PM!
On the schedule today - rest. Total rest. (Sigh of relief)
If nothing else, running seems to keep teaching me that I need to take care of my body and give it the right kind of fuel...and that there's a very real consequence when I don't.
ReplyDeleteI just went back and read your RnR race report from last year. You had a heck of day didn't you? I know that we had to be near each other at many points during the day.
I can't help but feel a little wistful that I'm not running it again this year. (the May gray is out in full force. It's 9:45 in La Mesa (east county) and no sign of the sun...yet. I hope it continues through the weekend. Wouldn't that have been nice? Still going to go down there on Sunday and cheer on friends. I may even go to the expo in a bit...always good deals on running gear at the Expo :-)
Have a great weekend!
Glenn, I can always tell when I haven't eaten enough during the day and go for a run in the afternoon. I feel like I could devour the fridge! :)
ReplyDeleteYou keep such excellent data on your runs. Keep up the great work!
I felt the same way last night. i was so exhausted from running but I had reached the point where I had trouble sleeping because my body was so tired. Not sure if you have ever experienced this but it has happened to be a lot after bball games and track meets! A totally weird experience!
ReplyDeleteRest is key! I have found that I have been sleeping alot since my mini vacation started! I didn't realize how little sleep I was getting! And I've had those runs when the legs just wont do anything! I've really started to listen to my body more! I sure don't want to hurt myself or get sick! So I'm a big fan of rest!! when I can get it!
ReplyDeleteWell I admire your decision to come home and eat healthy. Not sure I would do that at this stage of the game anyway! Glad you got some rest- enjoy your weekend Glenn! take care, Christine
ReplyDeleteAre you seriously that old? LMAO
ReplyDeleteSometimes we just have one of those days ...!
ReplyDeleteListen to your body, it sometimes knows you better than you do. I hope you at least got the streak and veggies down before you were out. (And I wish when I was "ravenous" that's the kind of food I craved instead of anything dense in calories.)
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you're feeling so beat. I'm so outrageously impressed that you kept going when your tank was so empty. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI'll remember your strength tomorrow as I try to negotiate 6kms after nearly a week off!
i can certainly sympathize on the tiredness! hope you were able to get some extra rest over the weekend. sometimes runs are just slow and sludgy, but better to have them in training than on race day!
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