Sunday, July 16, 2006

Don't forget to eat

Today's run was scheduled to be a progression run. The first 30 minutes run at an easy pace (7:00-7:15), the next 30 minutes at medium effort (6:30-6:45), and finish off running the last 30 minutes at about a 6:00 pace.

I woke up with the legs feeling fresh and wanting to run. This is a good sign. Maybe I just might have a good workout. I took off on my run not pushing the pace at all. Mile 1 was 7:20. Not bad, it's just the first mile and I'll progress as I go on. The next couple miles were ran at 7:10-7:15 pace. This could not be right. I'd just put a little more effort and I'm still running the same damn pace. My legs and body begins to feel like crap. What is going on? Thirty minutes of running and I had only averaged 7:15/mile. I began thinking back to yesterday trying to figure out why I don't have much energy and fight in me. Did I run hard yesterday? "No, didn't run at all". Did I drink enough fluids? "Yes, lots of it". Did I eat? "Yes". Wait a minute! The last time I ate was 5pm yesterday. That's 14 hours ago. Sh*t! This is why I feel like it! No big deal. Maybe the gatorade I drank before the run will kick in any minute.

I started picking up the pace ignoring how the body was feeling. 6:42 pace. Much better. Not as comfortable as it normally is, but that's training. The planned run route was to be a big loop and then end up at the track for the last 30 minutes. I decided to change the route to an out & back. I stop by the gas station to pick up a gatorade and a powergel in hopes of getting some energy. F**K! (excuse my french). Gas station doesn't open till 9am. No problem - there's a couple vending machines on the side of the building. No gatorade, but anything (Coke, Sprite, Brisk Tea) will do at this point. As I try to put my soaking dollar in the slot, the machine keeps spitting it out. Sh*t! Why don't you want to take my dollar? A wet dollar is the same as a dry dollar. I then continue my run and this time I stop at the park facility to get a drink of water from the water fountain. F**ken Sh*t! Water fountain doesn't even work. Nothing is going my way today. My body has bonked. It's freakin very hot and humid. I can't get a drip of water in me. And I'm only 50 minutes into my run.

I made it back to my vehicle and grabbed my bottle of gatorade. I still had a little in me, but not enough to run the last 30 minutes at marathon pace. I made the conscious decision to carry my gatorade on the run and finish the workout with easy running.

This was a lesson learned for me. I had a great time playing tourist yesterday, but didn't think too much about taking in the necessary nutrients. Sometimes this happens to us when we are caught up with work, having fun, or just don't feel like eating. Just remember that we need to consume calories (good ones) throughout the day.

Today's Run: 1:32:12

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