I cannot iterate this enough: it is extremely important that you do not increase your weekly miles suddenly. The guideline I learned was no more than 10% of your weekly total. It can put stress on your body and increase your chance of injury. Or, as in my case, lead to stiff, clunky legs and rough, achey runs. But just as often as I give this advice, I ignore this advice.
In a fit of...uh...awesomeness (yeah, that's the story I'm going with), I registered for a half marathon with only four weeks to train. Having accidentally run 11 miles and recovered decently from that, I thought "why not?" and jumped right into a training plan two-thirds of the way through. Since then, my long runs have actually gone surprisingly well, but my short runs have suffered. I'm starting to wonder if I would have been better off just keeping my miles lower and run the half without training at all.
Wednesday's 6 miler became Thursday's 4 miler after what turned out to be a long week with lots to do and little sleep. Still, I need to make running a priority, especially when I am stressed because it helps. Usually. I will say this about running...sometimes it can just plain suck. It had been a bumpy day at work. My Monday run was not even mediocre. I was pumped and ready for a chase-your-cares-away type of run. Little did I know, a WAHmbulance was heading my way.
The first couple of minutes went remarkably well. I even made the mistake of thinking "this is going well!" Barely a nanosecond later my legs were tightening, my stride was getting clunky, and the internal whining began. Oh my, but did my inner voice start to whine! Everything about the run felt bad. I was the dreaded "heavy stepper". I was sluggish. I was tired. Wah, wah, wah! Fortunately I had the forethought to cut my run to 4 miles before I started. If I make those decisions mid-run, I feel like a pansy (even if that's the smart decision to make). After a mile of mental complaining, I forced myself to change my focus. First focal point, what doesn't ache and isn't stiff? My arms, I decided. Instead of thinking about how clunky my legs felt, I concentrated on my arms. Rhythmically pumping my arms, as if they were driving my stiff legs forward. After a few minutes of this, I felt my complaining diminishing. During this time, I also passed a school parent running back the way I came. Encountering other runners always helps, because I focus on looking like I'm not dying. By this time, I was 1.6 miles into my run. It's only 4 miles, you can run 4 miles, I told myself.
My next tactic was to ignore the run completely and replay happy moments in my mind. Wednesday was my son's 7th birthday so this ended up being an easy task. Kids are hilarious. I treasure the fun moments I have with my kids. Being a mom is my biggest challenge, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My son's excitement about his birthday was too cute. He was more willing to let me cuddle and kiss him than he normally is, which warmed my heart immensely. He also milked his special day for all it was worth.
"Mommy, since it was my birthday, I only sort of had to follow the rules. So at recess, I made a snow angel!" What a rebel!
"Mommy, can I pop this bubble wrap?" After I told him he could, he took the bubble wrap in the living room where I soon heard, POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!! as he had put the bubble wrap on the floor and was stomping on it. He walked back into the kitchen with the popped wrap, "It's my birthday," he declared, satisfied. "That was fun!" Too cute. :)
As I replayed these fresh memories, the remaining miles clicked by unnoticed. I looked at the snow and even considered making my own snow angel. I decided against it because I was sure I would freeze the rest of the way home. I did run through some unmolested snow just to leave the footprints. By now I had forgotten my stiff legs and was laughing.
And wouldn't you know it, by the end of my run, I realized it didn't suck as much as I thought it would. All I needed was a little bit of an attitude adjustment. Some times the run itself is enough. Other times, it's the thought of renegade snow angels. ;)
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