CIM Week Three–the negative side effects of HTC

This was a weird week.

On one hand, I was still riding the Hood to Coast high all geeked out on running and motivated by my teammates and our successes in Oregon.

But on the other, in a hangover/post partum kind of way, I didn’t want to run.

Like at all.

Granted a lot had to do with being FING TIRED from not sleeping and kicking some ass up a few mountains… But there was another part – stubborn denial? – that kept me from stepping out on that first van-less, bib-less, teammate-less run.  Like if you’d gotten used to eating filet mignon everyday and suddenly had to eat… spam or something. I don’t know, I don’t eat meat. How bout from Apple Jacks to those unflavored plain Cheerios? Or a perfectly frothy latte to stale Folgers in a styrofoam cup? Or a Great Lakes Brew straight from the tap to a can of warm Keystone Light?

You get it, I’m sure.

I just wasn’t pumped to run. How could you be after getting to the highest of highs, and then knowing it was going to take a miracle before you felt that great and purposeful running again? Am I being overdramatic here??

DON’T TELL ME I’M BEING OVERDRAMATIC. IT’S ALL VERY REAL AND TRAGIC.

Also, don’t yell at me for not posting the second HTC recap yet. I realize it’s probably hard to wrap your head around all this when I haven’t told you about 2/3rds of ALL OF THE GREAT AND PURPOSEFUL RUNNING yet.

It’s coming. I promise. In the meantime…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CIM Training – Week #3

Su – Rest – travel day back from HTC, cry kicking and screaming the whole way

M – Rest (again) – just because I was lazy/tired/old

Tu – 6.5mi Fartlek at 5K pace (4mi of 60 sec on/60 off).  I felt strong, fast, and happy – which made me feel better for sleeping in and bailing on Track Party that AM

W – 5.2mi Easy – some hip/IT tightness so I let Brian torture me with the Tiger Tail after

Th – 3.3mi treadmill (just to even out the decimal’d weekly total). Dicked around in the weight room – Bosu squats, dumbell lunges, leg press, 10min abs.  Wasn’t up for hill work after the weekend, so suffered through strength training instead.

F – Easy 30min bike ride

Sa – 17mi Long Run, 8:40avg. This was the first LR Kristina and I have gotten to do together (CIM will be her first marathon!) and I’m SO thankful she was there to distract me from my massive #LRHater mood. I kept waiting to shake the tight/dead leg feeling (ugh like you wanted to recover from HTC or something??) and fall into a good rhythm but it never happened. Our splits were everywhere and the pace felt much harder than it should have, which is the biggest confidence-suck in my book.

I’m a terrific running buddy

It’s easy to freak out like, “How the hell will I run 9 miles further at 30+ sec/mi faster?! I’m doomed!” but I try to remind myself that’s the point of training. I don’t need to run MGP today. But putting in the miles now on tired legs will make it that much easier on race day.

Plus there was no way I was going to let my bitch mood and loser legs ruin Kristina’s PDR run.

     = 32 miles – every single one with a subliminal side of “GET YOUR SORE OLD LADY ASS TO YOGA, SARAH”

3 weeks down. 13 to go.

Sarah OUaL