Those "Not Feeling It" Runs

Ed -

Maybe it’s because I ran after work instead of in the morning.  Maybe it’s because my legs were still worn out from Friday’s Kettle bell class, Saturday’s 12 mile run followed by two more days of squatting and walking up and down stairs as I began tiling my covered porch.  This morning I got up to run and my hamstrings were still killing me, so I bailed and put off the run until tonight.  Whatever the reason, I just wasn’t feeling it as I headed out for a 5 mile up tempo run.  Sub-8 pace was the goal and I was hoping to hit 7:45.

You know what I mean by “not feeling it," right?  In the first 100 meters you’re all ready breathing too hard and by the end of the first half mile your legs are like lead along with your hands.  I warmed up like always, but it just felt all wrong.  I had done the same static stretching routine I’ve done for the last couple of years, then I started out my run and aimed to hit the first 800 in just under four minutes.  Typically, I just roll from there at whatever pace I’ve set out for the run.

But this wasn’t typical.  Not completely unusual, obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t expect you to understand what “not feeling it” meant, but I wasn’t cruising along like usual.  This run was quickly becoming work.

Maybe it was the heat.  Or the humidity.  Whatever the reason; I was struggling.

“Here’s where the ‘mental’ kicks in,”  I said to myself as I looked at my watch and figured a 3:45 split as a target for my next 800.

Whenever I’m not feeling it, that’s what I tell myself.  Kick in the ‘mental.’  This is where I just decide to shorten my run into 800 or half mile splits, and focus on hitting marks for each segment.  Allowing myself to quit on it whenever I just can’t do it any longer, but pushing for as long as I can.  I also remind myself that I have more in me than I think I do.  Just go one more half mile.

Breathe in all the way down into my lower back.  Run with my hands driving my legs.  Relax my eyes like I’m going to go to sleep.  Efficiency.  Stride. Drive.

Tonight, I reached mile 3.5 and was more than a minute ahead of where I needed to be.  And this was on my hilly course.  Lots of rolling hills with some steep, though short, inclines.  But I knew I was fading and still had my “short hill” workout section to climb in the last mile of my run.  That was going to hurt and it was still a mile away from me.

I quit thinking about the pace and just thought about pushing for the next half mile, listening for my watch to let me know when I hit my mark.  I tried not to think about the approaching hill and even told myself I could take it easy going up it.  But when I got to it I dug down and started to drive up.  It’s only one hill.  I do this thing ten times during my workouts.  Run dammit.  Push.

I felt my stomach tightening as I got to the half way point on the hill and knew there would be gaggage when I crested the top and that feeling had the effect it normally has on me.  I lengthened my stride and sped up.  Let’s see what you got, Ed.

I hit the top of the hill and allowed myself to slow down, but kept moving as I fought to get air into my lungs again and felt the burn in my thighs move all through me.  From here out it’s pretty flat and I only had ¾’s of a mile to go.  I picked a spot about 50 meters ahead to coast, then picked up my pace again.  This is the part that makes me stronger and faster.  That last half mile or so, where I’m dead but I just keep going.  This is the growth rep.  Get it.

And here is where the satisfaction shows up.  I started out feeling like crap, but I played a mental game with myself to break the run into small segments, telling myself I could quit on it whenever I wanted, but also telling myself I could go further than I thought I could.  Repeating that mantra of “just one more split, Ed. Go one more.”

I got to my house and stopped my watch.  Just over 5 miles in 37:26.  I was way too winded to do that sort of division in my head so I hit the down arrow on my garmin which would show me my pace.  My goal was sub 8 and my hope was 7:45.  My average was 7:26.

Oh baby, that’s sweet!

As a P.S.  I ran again this morning doing a 3 mile recovery run at just under 9 minute pace.  My legs felt very tired when I started out, but loosened up nicely by the end.  Despite the humidity it was a great feeling run and I know it did its job of flushing out the lactic acid from last night and kept those healing fluids running through me to help me recover and continuing to build my endurance.