It is inevitable that there will be weeks when the biggest challenge of training is not the running itself, but rather getting around the obstacles that keep me away from running. This was certainly one of those weeks. My little windows of opportunity in the morning were plagued with illness and a whole lot of rain.
Week 6 started with an optional run (one of the features I love about my training program is the weekly run that I can skip without guilt if everything else is too crazy). I felt fine on Monday morning, but I decided that it would be wise to give my body a rest after the miles I'd just put in the previous two days (16 and 7 miles).
Monday night, I got sick with a nasty stomach bug. My "you know you're a runner moment" was when I threw up the first time, my immediate thought was, "better push my tempo run to Wednesday and just get some easy miles in the morning". The second time I got sick, the immediate thought was, "I should have done the optional run Monday morning, since I definitely won't be running Tuesday".
I thought about running the tempo run on Wednesday (no throwing up since Monday night), but I still felt a little dehydrated, so I played it safe and stayed home.
That made three days in a row of not running! I get frustrated when I skip two in a row, but three? I was a stressed-out, endorphin-deprived mess by Wednesday night.
Fortunately, Thursday morning was awesome. My plan called for speed intervals, which I honestly don't enjoy that much unless I'm on a track. However, my Best Running Buddy wanted to try some group speedwork, so three of us met up early in the morning for an Indian-Style run. We warmed up for one mile, then ran single file for about 5 miles. Every quarter mile, the runner in the back would sprint to the front of the line and set the pace until it was time for the next runner to lead the pack. We followed with a one-mile cooldown. It's always fun to run with friends. These particular friends are faster runners than I am, so it was challenging to keep up when they were leading. This run therefore qualified as a social run AND a speed workout -- two birds with one stone. Did I mention it was pouring rain? A common theme this week. 6.93 miles at 8:57 average pace.
It really feels like it's been raining most days since the beginning of July. On Friday morning, I looked at the weather radar and it was nasty, but I really wanted to get in 3-5 easy miles and I hoped I could beat the bad stuff. At first it was lovely -- a light rain and a little breeze to keep things cooler -- but I could see the black clouds rolling in with a whole lot of lightning. It hit much earlier than I had expected. My baseball cap couldn't protect my face from the sideways rain, and the streetlights came back on. I headed back home after only 1.75 miles, hoping to get a quick run after work, but knowing in my soul that it would be impossible since my husband would be at work.
Saturday morning, the weather struck again. I woke up at 4:30, looked at the radar, and went back to sleep until 6:00. The weather hadn't improved by then either, but I was fueled and prepped for an 18 mile run, so I kept checking every half hour until around 10:00, when I realized the moment had passed. It was one storm band after another all day. I did venture out around lunchtime when the rain had slowed to a light shower, but I knew my fueling would be off so I just ran as far as it felt good, which turned out to be 7 miles. The light rain didn't last long -- it was pouring most of the time. The running path was completely empty, and the heavy rain led to some giant ankle-deep puddles. I pushed the pace a bit in the beginning, and jumping puddles gave me a few unusual sore spots. Overall: 7.07 miles at 9:22 pace.
On Sunday morning, the radar looked ominous again. There was a huge storm band bearing down on us, coming from the west as our storms almost always do. Still, it looked like I might be able to get 4-5 miles in before the rain started, and I figured if I could get at least 10 miles outside, I could suck it up and finish the last 8 on the dreadmill in the garage. I started slow and easy, not having run this far since last fall. I got to 4, 5, 6 miles with no rain. By mile 7, I could see blue skies. I stopped to fill my water bottle at mile 9, and checked my radar again. By this time, the storm was miles away -- to the north! With an incredulous grin, I cranked up the music and got ready for the second half of my long run. I ended up making it a full 18 miles with not a single drop of rain! An hour after I finished, it was pouring again, and it rained the rest of the day. Getting in a rain-free long run truly was my Sunday miracle. 18.06 miles at 9:44 pace.
There is rain in the forecast every day through the end of the month. I think that getting my shoes soaked probably decreases their lifespan. My long-run shoes weren't feeling so hot on Sunday, so I will start looking for a deal on a new pair this week.
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