Just When

Just when I thought my injuries were behind me…

Just when I was feeling fit and fast…

Just when I felt like things were on the upswing…

The tempo run was all-round bad. It started when I found out we were doing 8k***. 8k! I had misread it as 5k, and mentally had prepared myself for that distance. Only to find out I was going almost double that. And to make matters worse (for me), I had forgotten my trusty watch, meaning that I wouldn’t know my pace or the distance left to run. And for some crazy reason, the group decided to do a hillier course this time. Ugh.

The evening was hot and windless. We started out as a group of 4. One of the runners I hadn’t seen in a while, and I was happy to catch up with her as we chatted along (we talked about scuba diving and paddle boarding, both awesome sports!). But at the 2k mark, things started to go wrong. I was hot and tired. My legs felt weak, and I started to get a sharp pain along my shin. I slowed down my pace a bit, running with one of the guys who was planning to take it easier.

The only good thing I can say about the run is that it had lights and a few closed trails/detours, meaning that we took impromptu breaks along the way to figure out our route or wait for traffic.

The first 4k were mostly uphill. When we got to the halfway mark, two of the faster and stronger runners (I used to be right with them), kept going, while the other guy and I turned back. I was suffering! My shin hurt, my calves hurt, my body felt exhausted, and I was overheated.

I never bring water for less than 12k, and I’ve never had strong reason to feel that this is a bad idea. Usually, I find hydrating before and after the run is enough. But when my running buddy cracked out his water a couple of times to take a drink, it looked like liquid gold. The brief thought of stealing his water flashed through my mind more than once, but I held strong. I did talk to him about my goal of doing my first marathon next year, and he was slightly horrified with me. I think he felt I was out of my depth, jumping from a 10k to a marathon. And maybe I am. But I have a full year to figure it out!

We finished with a total distance of 8.08km in 55 minutes – including the stops along the way.

I chose to forego a proper cool down in favour of guzzling some cold water. I couldn’t seem to get enough of it! I did do some gentle stretching, but not enough. When I got home I was a wreck. Thirsty, a little nauseated (?from chugging water or overheating or not cooling down properly…pick one), and could barely walk because my legs were so sore!

Not my finest hour. Running can do that to you. On a good day, you have every confidence and happiness in the world. On a bad day, it’s all you can do to hold your head up and put one foot in front of the other. While I prefer the good days, I know it can be the bad days that force you to rely on the mental strength rather than the physical strength.

***Despite the fact this is being posted right after the other 8k tempo, please note that these runs are, in fact, almost 1 week apart!