Sunday, August 26, 2012

My 12 miler...

Have you ever had a run that started out okay but by the end you were just ready to lay down on the pavement and cry?  That was my long run Saturday.  Let me go back to the beginning of the week for a short recap of my schedule:

Monday:  30min Elliptical & Upper body
Tuesday:  5 miles in morning then 25min elliptical chest/back/abs pm
Wednesday:  All lower body
Thursday:  5 miles in morning then 25min elliptical tris/bis abs
Friday:  Upper body 1.5 mile walking puppies
Saturday:  12mile long run
Sunday:  3mile recovery

All in all it wasn't a bad training week.  I felt pretty good actually.  Then Saturday came and it was time for the long run.  My homie and I decided we would just do six out then back.  Going out wasn't bad at all.  My foot was taped and I felt pretty good with only a little soreness.  On the way back you could definitely feel that it was getting warmer.  Still, my foot was really doing surprisingly well and I was super happy for that.  About mile 7ish my glutes and hamstrings really started to feel pretty tight.  We stopped and I stretched those areas and my homie rubbed and stretched her shins.  She's been having a pretty hard time with shin splints =(  After we stretched we started back out but I had to stop another two times to stretch.  At about mile 10 was when I also mentally started going down hill.  I truly felt like doing this: 
 It took EVERYTHING I had to NOT lay down and cry!! It was the hardest and longest 2 miles ever!! Once we were done I felt like I could throw up!  I didn't but I wanted to!  As we walked back to our cars, ever so slowly, everything on my body hurt!! Once we said our goodbyes and headed back home I had a mental break down of what am I doing??  Why is this so hard for me?  What was different about this run for it to mentally get to me?  As I got home and got out of the car my hubby was there and could immediately see that I was not good.  He asked how the run went and I told him that everything on my body hurt and that I was mentally gone at this point.  I went upstairs and ran a all cold bath and put my sore body in.  I hate this part but love this part.  After sitting there and letting my muscles start to heal a little I couldn't stop thinking about those last two miles and how it had mentally got to me.  Once I was done with the cold bath I headed downstairs with massaging lotion and I went to town on both of my legs and feet.  I took about twenty minutes each on both legs as well as did some stretching.  Then I put my compression socks on and just laid there on the couch.  After about an hour I got up and went to take a nice hot shower.  Then I started feeling a lot better.  I wasn't hating my life and my legs didn't feel too bad.  I had a three mile recovery run scheduled for Sunday and thought I would just see how my body felt when I got up that morning.  As I woke up this morning I did feel a lot better and thought that it would do me some good to get back out there and just do my recovery miles.  I'm so glad I did!  

I guess there are going to be days that you just breeze right through your miles and then there are days that are just plain physically and mentally hard!  My day was yesterday.  After this coming week it will be time to taper and get ready for the big day.  I know I can do this....even if I have to crawl while crying to that finish line!! 

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