I last posted a blog on January 10. That’s over a month ago. It’s crazy how life sometimes gets away from you, and you get caught up in other things and forget about things you should be doing. Not that blogging should be a requirement or chore, but it’s supposed to be something I enjoy and therefore should keep up with.
So the last time I wrote I was going on about how much I was surprised with how the treadmill weekend went, and how good my running was going. It’s amazing how quickly things can change. I cannot remember now if it was one week or two after that, but I do know that it was the day I was to run my last really long run of training, 26.2 miles. The week before’s runs hadn’t been that great, but I was confident going into this run, especially since it was not hypothermia cold out. I set out feeling alright, but after roughly 15 miles I started to struggle. Then as I hit miles 19 and 20, I was very much struggling and dragging. I then walked 2 more miles and then tapped out.
Where Dreams Die
To the right you’ll see the place where dreams die…so if you are ever out for a run please avoid said location. It was here that a few realizations came to me:
1) I was not, and would not be, physically ready for the 50 mile race, and, as such, would not be able to qualify for and run the 100 miler.
2) At some point during my months of training, running went from being something I enjoyed to something that was not only unenjoyable but somewhat of a chore.
3) I set out with a goal to run an ultra marathon. With the parameters I set (training time frame, etc.), I was not able to reach said goal. However, there is nothing wrong with failing to meet a goal; quitting would have been unacceptable.
Some might say that by dropping there, just a mere 3 weeks from the event, that I was quitting. However, they’d be wrong. I simply realized that I would not be ready for the event, and I’m not going to put myself at risk physically simply to try to do something that, quite frankly, if you’re not ready for could seriously injure you or cause you health issues. I ran hundreds of miles over the past few months, and that in and of itself is something to be proud of.
I do not have any set goals for 2010, other than to get back to actually enjoying running. I’ll likely run some 5Ks, hopefully a 10K, some trail runs, and maybe a half marathon or two. The important thing is that I’m still running, still healthy, and completely at peace with the decision I made. And I’ve got another huge milestone to prepare for this year…I’m getting married!
And so my friends and fellow runners, remember that sometimes knowing when to step away from something is much more beneficial than blinding running towards it. So until next time…
Run on Friends!
Symptoms:
Near 16 miles, we came upon a strip mall, and luckily I had enough sense to say that it was time to stop. I confusedly made my way into a supermarket. I stumbled around the aisles looking for a place to sit, but I couldn’t find any. I was afraid if I sat on the ground someone would call an ambulance and there would be a big scene…so I managed to stay standing. Alex bought me a bag of pretzels to get some salt in me, then I got a cup of hot chocolate which helped warm me up some. Still, all I wanted to do was sit and sleep.
It’s raining out tonight, and well, I decided to be a bit of a wuss and not suit up and run. So instead, I decided to take an inventory of where I am in my training, and how I’m feeling. In the month of November, I ran a total of 162 miles. That’s just under 26 hours total. My average pace for the month was 9:36. I ran a total of 7600 feet up hill, and a total of 7700 feet downhill (total -100 feet). I burned almost 21000 calories. All in all, that’s a lot of running. And I got all those interesting stats from the SportsTracks program I use with data from my Garmin.
I’m not really sure how I happened to get the stiff neck. Theories range from a near car accident to having to wring out a bunch of towels before throwing them in the dryer because the spin cycle on my washer decided it didn’t want to work. Such is the home owner’s life. In any case, you would think that having such a stiff neck that kept me from sleeping at night would affect my running. Apparently, just the opposite. Instead of slowing down my running, all my week day runs were relatively quick compared to the training I’ve been trying to do. I was very surprised at the 7:44 4th mile I ran on Wednesday. Granted, it was mostly downhill, but still.
Woke up Saturday morning to cold and rain. Surprisingly, this didn’t deter me from throwing on my running clothes and heading out the door. This time, however, I remembered to put on body glide and large band-aids where I’ve been getting blisters on the arches of my feet. I decided to run again at the Towpath, although this time without Team in Training. I got there around 7:45, and it was still a little misty. I made a detour into the bathroom before I started…strictly against my no public rest rooms rule I have, but something wasn’t agreeing with me. Thankfully, though, once I headed back out the rain had stopped and it held off the entire run.
Lessons Learned This Week
I know this blog post is long, but I did want to bring back to focus why I am doing this run. Like many of you out there, cancer has touched my life, and the lives of some of my friends and family, in a very personal way. I lost my brother, a father of 3 in his mid 30’s, to cancer last summer. My wife to be, Stephanie, is almost 3 years cancer free. It is in my brother’s memory, in her honor, and in respect, admiration, and hope for all others out there dealing with cancer and its effects that I’m running this race for.
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