After doing so well yesterday, I thought shaving a few miles off my long run would be legit. I was planning for 10-13.1 miles. With whichever distance I chose, I was aiming to keep it easy...
...that wasn't what happened.
When I reached the 5th mile marker, I assessed how I felt mentally and physically. I was, no doubt, tired, but I decided I was in a good state of mind to keep moving forward. Then, I hit 6.55 and looked ahead. I could see mile 7 from where I was and it didn't seem that far...
I wasn't feeling much better since mile 5 and knew if I kept going, I was going to regret it. But, despite the likeliness of regretting my decision, I pushed forward for a half mile.
As expected, the dissatisfaction with my plan began to settle in. I was already 7 miles out and it looked as though I would have to finish a full 14 mile run. I began to ache and my exhaustion was taking it's toll. I can't forget to mention that the humidity really began to bother me.
That's when I had to start making deals with
If I made it through the remaining 7 miles, I promised myself a plate of leftover spaghetti. A BIG plate.
A nap with Ginger was also negotiated upon my arrival home.
I also decided that I am going to shave my weekly mileage goal down 5 miles. No more 40 mile weeks until the hot, sticky days have passed. If a good week comes along, sure, 40 will be fine. However, I'm not going to expect it out of myself. It is not realistic for me until fall arrives.
A vacation from running was also planned. Next month, I will take a week off because I have never proposed any time from running. It usually only happens because I'm injured and those days off are never fun. I think it's time for me to give myself some time to enjoy some lazy behavior. It's well-deserved.
Anyway, I started the official mileage countdown when I had 4 to go. I was counting it by the quarter. I just really wanted my food and nap at this point. Then, when I finally saw my car a quarter of a mile away, I was extremely relieved. I finally finished the somewhat torturous adventure in 2:18:28.
I followed through with my above deals: I stuffed myself full with spaghetti and also rested with my cat, who licked the sweat from my neck. I still intend to follow through with everything else I had discussed. So we may be looking at just some 5 milers this week for the short runs.
Anywho, I hope you all had a great weekend and hope the remainder of your Sunday goes perfectly :)
Have you ever pushed yourself to complete a run that you knew you should not have done?
What is your weekly mileage goal in the summer? Does it differ from the other seasons?
Do you take time off from running? If so, how long and how often?
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