On Saturday, my husband, Fred, and I had planned to get up early and get our long run done. We were looking at 8 or 9 miles. Eight if we wanted to stay up to speed on training, nine if we felt extra exuberant. Well, we woke up after a rather horrific night of sleep. We both proceeded to give every excuse we could think of while the other validated them faster than a high speed chase. (We make a great team!) Needless to say, we didn't run Saturday.
So, Sunday rolls around. It's Palm Sunday so no missing church for me. Which means that our run will have to wait until after church, which really means that our run will have to wait until after brunch, which means that our run isn't happening until about 2pm. When the temp is nearing record high (upper 80's on April 1st is no joke) and the sun is glaring down...
I made sure to drink water all morning to stay hydrated. I grabbed a Raspberry GU to take on the run. Never tried them before and thought it would be good to try one around mile 5 or so. Off we went.
Two miles in, I thought perhaps I had died a mile back and was running through the valley of the shadow of death. Three miles in, I knew I was going to be calling my Dad to just come pick me up. At four miles I thought I would beat Fred for talking me out of turning around at 3 miles. Especially when we discovered that the drinking fountain at the 4 mile mark has not yet been turned on by the water-fountain-powers-that-be.
It was hot. I was thirsty and we didn't plan for water beyond the drinking fountain. Awesome.
So, I took my GU. Punched my husband in the arm, then started the 4 mile trek of torture back to the car. Water is waiting for me at the car. This thought kept me going... along with, I can't believe we didn't bring water on this run, we are f*&%#$@ stupid, and of course Jillian, "Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going." You just can't argue with that kind of logic. Plus, she's mega hot.
I of course brought up to Fred the fact that HE didn't want to run on Saturday when it was cloudy and cool outside... he gave me 'that' look. You know, that one from our super fun day of shopping together.
I generally don't care about my pace/time. I wear my Garmin when I run so I know my mileage but when it comes to speed, I really couldn't care less. Enjoying and finishing my runs are my only goals. Enjoyment was out the window and finishing was coming close to getting tossed out as well. This was the slowest run I think I've ever had in my short little running life. Did I mention the first 3 miles were UP HILL?!?! The brilliance behind the planning of this particular run still astounds me.
Let's recap... 80+ degree day, full sun, no water on the run, first half is up hill, 8 miles total. I think the only thing we left out of this delightful little fun run was flaming arrows and rabid dogs. There actually was a donkey 'showing off'... that's all I have to say about that.
Run sensibly, run safe, make sure you have water handy when it's hot outside. Plan ahead.
That was one of the worst runs I've had in a long time. It happens. Even with prime weather and plenty of water, it happens. Sticking with it anyway is what gets you the big pay off. Don't give up. Know that you are getting stronger with every step. It never has to be all or nothing with running. I can say this because I've lived through a lot of bad runs (some due to poor planning and some just because of an off day) but I continued on to have a lot more great runs. Don't ever give up. You are worth more than that.
I'm not telling you
it's going to be easy.
I'm telling you
it's going to be worth it.
Peace, love, happiness!
~Bekah
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