Any of you who read my post last week will know that I was feeling a little down on myself, not getting the mileage I had wanted to, not getting a long run in, and in fact not running at all on the weekend. I was feeling discouraged particularly because I did not feel as though I had been pushing the mileage all that much overall in the past couple months, and yet I was still not progressing the way I had hoped or had expected based on past experiences.
There are likely several underlying causes for this, for lack of a better word, malaise. First and foremost, I moved to a new place in December. While moving can be a great inspiration, it is also mentally and physically exhausting. That move triggered two other differences that I believe are making more difficult for me to increase mileage. It's been a rough winter for everybody here in Minnesota. By many counts it's been the coldest winter in over a decade. By some other counts it's been the coldest winter since records have been kept. It is a constant mental game to get yourself out and running in this sort of winter: the daily grind of psyching yourself up for the cold each run is wearing on anybody. Thoughts creep in: "I don't want to layer up again\" or "I just don't want to be cold today."
Because, if you're dressing correctly for a run in below-zero temperatures, there is no way to avoid being cold for the first several minutes. If you're not cold then, you will be overheating later, which leads to sweating, which in turn leads to, you guessed it, being even colder later on in the run. That initial shock of getting out the door and breathing that first breath of frigid air is a mental challenge each and every day. I count getting out the door a victory many days.
The second underlying cause is that, while there are a large number of trails in the Twin Cities area, there are very few that I can reach from my doorstep. To somebody coming from Boulder, where trails lead up into the mountains a mile from my office door, this is a major adjustment. I either have to drive to a trailhead, which I avoid doing, or run a fair amount on roads, which I prefer to avoid doing. Because of this I have done the majority of my training on the roads for the first time in 5 years.
This takes adjustment.
But after this past week, I am more confident that I am adjusting to the new situation. I am also confident that my body is adjusting to the demands I'm placing on it.
The fact that spring is finally breaking the grip of winter, with actual puddles on the roads and sidewalks, helps more than I can say.
Weekly Summary:
Monday: 3 miles, 24 minutes. Easing back into it after the two days off.
Tuesday: 6 miles, 50 minutes, easy on trails. Decided that I should drive down to the River Gorge, my go-to trail, to get some quality off-road miles in. Much needed nature (ish) break.
Wednesday: 7 miles, 54 minutes. 1.5 mile warm up, 4 miles of Fartlek No idea how many up-tempo sessions, or how long/far they were. By the last interval, though, I was grimacing, so the effort level was high.
Thursday: Off. Decided to go to the Science Museum in St Paul in the afternoon rather than run. Excellent choice.
Friday: 4 miles, 34 minutes. Slipped a quick run in after a trip to the Waterpark of America in the early afternoon. I need to visit the pool more often now that I have a fitness club membership. I think it helps my muscles loosen up.
Saturday: 13.5 miles, 1:50. Took two laps of the River Gorge loop, first in 0:48:30, second in 0:47:30, plus an extra 14 minute add on. There was some other training group out there doing a long run on the bike path either side of the river. It was good to see so many out enjoying the weather, which that morning ranged from 15 degrees to 30 in the course of my run. All in all, for pushing myself a good three miles farther than I had so far this year, I felt strong.
Sunday: 4 miles, 34 minutes. One of my goals for this year is to always run the day after my long run for the week. I would like to get to the point where I'm running more on the two days of the weekend than I will be in the 50k in May. Ideally I will hit this mark the last weekend in April, to give myself ample time to sharpen and recover before the race.
I finally feel on track again. I got one quality workout in, and one long workout in, and while my legs were tired at the end of the week, I was able to take Monday off and run Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (with a progression run on Wednesday). Hopefully this pattern continues and I can run long this weekend as well.
There is one more ingredient to my recovery that I believe was critical: I left my watch at home for all but the long run, and only looked at it then to keep aware of what time it was. I have always found that I tend to run best when I run by feel rather than by a clock. With a watch, I inevitably find myself checking it more often than I probably should, comparing myself against other runs and, far too often, pushing myself to keep up with where I think I should be running.
Sometimes that's a great thing, but most of my runs are easy or recovery runs, when pushing yourself is highly counterproductive. Without the watch, I let go of my drive to compete against myself and actually give myself a chance to recover.
For some time I was considering replacing my GPS watch, but with that added information, I find I check myself yet more often, leading to yet more difficulties. Instead, if I really feel the need to keep track of my progress, I will use my phone, which is harder to access on the run. In the meantime, I will run by feel.
After all, I did beat my personal best half time without a watch.
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