The week off was torture. I was aggitated, tired, not sleeping well, I ate pretty poorly, my body was in a lot of pain and I was just all around crabby. Recovery week (which was only 5 days off) reminded me of my need for exercise. I need that endorphin release. Looking back on that week, I realize that I had a terrible week of parenting, work was stressful and my house was in shambles.
The first marathon I ran resulted in a couple years of not running . . . how that happened, I don't really know. I guess it probably has to do with how I had trained. I ran 6 days a week (obviously I didn't have Angie in my life planning my training schedule) and my body hurt all the time. I suffered from agonizing shin splints and my race was hot and not very strong. I didn't LOVE running that day. I loved finishing, but I didn't love running. I've learned a LOT since then.
Last week I managed a 5, a 6 and a 7 mile run during the week. I think 7 was a bit steep as my left achilles tendon has been tight since my marathon. Despite the discomfort while running, I pushed through and completed my runs. Fortunately, or unfortuantely, when I get a number in my head, I just HAVE to complete it. I could have made my last run 5 miles, and I almost did because my Garmin beeped "low battery" about 2 miles in and I'd rather have a run saved than get all my miles in (not really, but it's a close call). I had it in my mind that I could do 7 because I had to take Jackson to school so I had time to run before I took him and then went to work. I ended up finishing fine, my pace was just fine, but my legs were still somewhat fatigued.
I finally got back to a Friday spin class as we had planned to do our long run on Sunday versus Saturday. It was a KILLER class. I don't recall ever working that hard through spin before. .. . and I'm no wimp to sweating through a tough workout. It felt amazing.
We finally had the chance to hit up the trails yesterday. I set my alarm for 5 am, but I woke up around 4:45 (thanks to my week day running schedule) and it was pouring off an on. . .more on than off. I obsessed over my weatherbug app and hoped it was right. It was supposed to be done raining by 8 o'clock. It was still raining when Angie picked me up at 6:15. Normally we would have 6 miles in by 6:15 but since we were doing trail running and it's dark until close to 7 am, we get to "sleep in" a little bit.
As soon as we got out of the car I said to Angie "this might not be the best way to start our trail running." Cold, wet, somewhat dark and dreary. Despite the wet somewhat muddy run, we LOVED it! The first 5 miles felt pretty long. I'm not sure if it was because we didn't know what to expect and we were concentrating so hard on the ground so we wouldn't trip on something, but by round 2 of the 5 mile loop, we were feeling better. I was still tired and my muscles were feeling the hard work, but it was fun.
Angie and I both agree that total fatigue after a long run is addicting. I have NEVER been so exhausted from a 9 mile run witha 1 mile recovery walk. The trail wasn't overly difficult, but had enough elevation gain and loss to make it challenging as well as some slippery conditions which required some steady work. It was more than I expected it to be from a workout perspective.
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| A little dirt never hurt anybody! |
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| First Trail Run. . . . a whole new adventure. |
After the run, we were dirty, wet and starting to feel the chill. I was thankful for heated seats and a blast of hot air inthe car. Angie packed a protein bar for durig the run which was awesome because I only brought a guu pack and honestly, I'm okay not having one of those suckers for a LONG time after downing 7 of them a few weeks ago for the marathon (barf!). I packed some bananas and 2 cute chocolate milks for us! Delish after a long hard run.
Neither of us really knew what to expect. I have done trail running with my sister-in-law by her house in Minnetonka MN, so I've done a little bit of it, but it's been a while. I have never been to the Kettles where Angie and I ran on Saturday. I think I have fallen in love with trail running. We will be able to get fewer miles in but have that fatigued feeling we both love. Being outside in nature without honking cars, traffic signals to wait for, creeps yelling "I love you!" out the window as they pass us.. . . . and other city issues makes trail running simply amazing. Now we just have to keep finding new and adventurous trails to keep things interesting.
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| Hosed Down and drying off! --These babies have 280 miles on them! |
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| Relaxing outside with my little Packer Backer the rest of the afternoon. |
I'm enjoying the fall weather while it lasts. Soon I'll be forcing myself out of my warm bed on cold winter days to get my miles in. I love winter running once I'm out the door and warmed up, but it's that "getting out of bed" part that sucks!
What is your favorite time to run? Hot summer sweating your cajones off? Frigid cold temps with some snow & ice? Or right in the fall when the temps are cool but not bitter? My favorite is fall and early spring running.
Happy Fall Running & BEST WISHES to My BRB Angie on her 3rd 1/2 marathon of the year this weekend. She's running The Whistlestop 1/2 marathon in Ashland WI with her dad this weekend! YAY!
~Brooke~
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