Week 5: Body Revolts
Week 5: July 29 - August 4, 2019
Motivation comes in waves; you can’t rely solely on motivation to get your sneakers on, get out the door, and crush it. Programs are helpful to follow to keep athletes on track. I had every intention of following the program through and through on Week 5, but I had to listen to my body to find what I needed. I’m not sure if it was because I went all-in the previous week after having been away, but I felt like I was starting to get sick. This was the plan:
Monday: 6 mile easy
Tuesday: 1.5 mile warmup, 6 x 800 meter @ 10k pace w/ 400 meter jog, 1.5 mile cooldown
Wednesday: Rest/Crosstrain
Thursday: 1.5 mile warmup, 2 x 2 mile @ marathon pace with 0.5 mile jog, 1.5 mile cooldown
Friday: 6 mile easy
Saturday: 6 mile easy
Sunday: 10 miles long
I was tired Monday after that long 10-miler the previous day. That, combined with not enough to eat afterward (I burned more than a thousand calories according to my MapMyRun, putting me in a great deficit), too much to drink compared to the amount of food I ate, too much summer heat and sunshine, and the food that I did eventually eat not being of the best nutritional value made me feel dizzy and my tummy tumultuous. Getting old and fit makes one social cocktail feel like a few rounds of shots. I barely drink to begin with! I was so frustrated about not feeling well, and even napping didn’t help. Thank goodness for fresh ramen; that stuff is amazing.
Tuesday was also a bust (running-wise; I lifted instead), but I felt decent enough on Wednesday to get back on the pavement. Wednesday was technically a rest day, but I didn’t even feel like doing speed work on the track to catch up. My brain wanted to see different things than the red rubber oval with white lines for multiple laps. I jogged over to the East River and instead of heading north, I ran south along the tip of Manhattan to the Hudson River and then back across town to my gym. I stayed under the shade as much as possible and had to dodge tourists as I got closer to the Staten Island Ferry and Battery Park. The heat and having to stop at a bunch of red lights slowed down my time, but it was within marathon pace. The fact that these “easy” runs of little-to-medium effort runs are within the pace I need to succeed during hot conditions means I should be golden when the temperature drops. I really hope my time improves by autumn.
Thursday my legs just wanted a different movement pattern than running, and I wanted the air conditioning for my workout between clients. As dumb as it sounds, I just didn’t want to be so freaking sweaty for once. I kind of regret not running though; I decided to do multiple rounds of back squats and was so sore for days that it interfered with my runs and even made sitting down on the toilet to pee an ordeal. Note to self: the powerlifting strength work will have to wait a few weeks, since I need my strength workouts to help my performance rather than hinder it.
Friday I was too sore for anything. As I said before, that was an error on my part. I tend to overcompensate in my training days after I feel too sick to do anything. It’s not an “I need to catch up” mental state that you may think; I just love to move around and when you feel better after any sickness you feel like Wonder Woman and think you can pick up the world and toss it into another solar system. I did a very small aesthetic accessories workout (think bicep curls) because I was too drained for some real work.
My quads and hamstrings were still so stiff on Saturday that when I’d roll around during sleep I felt like I had my legs in a mermaid tail and had to flop around to get out of bed that morning. Nevertheless, the Running Mermaid had to run. It couldn’t delay. I ran 8 miles, mostly uphill, and at a super slow average pace of 10 minutes per mile. That was excruciatingly slow for me since I can usually walk that pace. I kept it at a jog, and my thighs felt like they barely moved enough to create forward movement. I was just glad I got the mileage in so I could enjoy my friend's birthday barbecue later that day where I got to cuddle with her new puppy.
My body wanted a full rest day Sunday, so that’s what I gave it. I sat under a tree by the Hudson River for a few hours reading a thriller. The cool breeze and fresh air felt great, my heart rate was super low and calm, and I mentally prepared for the week ahead. When the sun overtook my shade, I headed home and watched two documentaries on Netflix while folding laundry. The first one was “Iron Cowboy” about the guy who completed 50 Ironmans in 50 days across all 50 states. I was thoroughly inspired by his endurance under such tough conditions. Then I watched a show on the Crossfit Games and was amazed at the strength of the female competitors during ridiculous workouts. I was pretty amped up, which is the opposite of what I wanted before bed, but I let these positive messages sink into my mind when I eventually went into slumber.
Two out of 6 runs isn’t great, but I did what I could given my body’s revolt against me.
I tried to take a selfie with an adorable squirming puppy after a long week 🐶 😍