I won’t be all dramatic and go so far as to use the word “failure,” but it is a bit hard to not feel defeated when I was only able to run 17.5 of my intended 19 miles today. I’m not one that sets out to do something and not achieve it, so it was a really hard decision for me to call the run a mile and a half from my goal. That said, my thighs were so incredibly cramped up and tight I was at a loss for what to do and promise you I did not have it in me to push through. I had tried a few brief stops to stretch, kept the Gu on schedule all run, and had more than enough water (shout out to the Clam Box at mile 12 where I was able to refill my belt!)
I’m left feeling a bit discouraged I missed my mark, but am also trying to be realistic knowing this can be part of the process. I have been logging consistently high mileage the last few weeks on my long runs, mileage I’ve never run, and in my quick research that sometimes can be the culprit. Moving forward, my plan is to start reading up on what might be possible causes for the trouble I’ve been feeling around mile 16, which has been pretty consistently my “tough spot” throughout these longer runs and try to make some adjustments. I am going to look at my pre run prep and nutrition and maybe even try something different than Gu when I’m actually on the run. Any suggestions are more than welcome!
While I feel as if I have been doing a decent job all around with training, today feels a bit like a wake up call. I need to really maintain a focus for these coming weeks to help me not just make my goal, but make my goal healthy and strong!
Thank you all again for your ongoing cheers and support! Honestly when I am out there logging the big miles, I think about everyone who has been encouraging me along the way and it really has made a huge difference!
Eat|Play|Run|Kirby 