Decent Run- (long Checking In post)
My first run in my Under Armour. I’m glad it was 5:20AM and I was alone, because the bottom of my shirt kept popping up out of my shorts and I’d feel like sausage coming out of its casing. But it felt good, and I didn’t have a lick of sweat on my body. It went to the outside of the fabric and made me look like a sleek upright running sea lion.
I got lost in the woods again, but this time, I didn’t let it phase me a bit. Based on Wednesday’s success, and the fact I returned home in one piece, I just ran the course that was in front of me. I also tried pushing mental placeholders into my head about the course for Sunday. I told myself that if it seems longer, it’s probably just different. I ran an extra six minutes just to make sure I had distances covered.
I felt fatigued about 25 minutes in, which came just seconds after feeling really good. The six minutes before were perfect, and then the last bunch were slogs. I wonder if it’s to do with knowing the finish is coming, so I surrender a bit of something. If so, I’m going to train my mind out of that, because I could really have used that energy.
The mental game is becoming the focus of what I’m doing, because my muscles are feeling tip-top, and even though my cardio could do to be 20 points better, I know that’s a product of building up so I can’t “fix” it. But boy, the stuff I slip into my head while running is crazy. I really did a lot of work reeling in bad thoughts, negative feelings, and all kinds of putdowns. I’ve got to have a word with my inner coach about that. Maybe that’s the deal. I have to be a little more formal in setting the mood.
Running without music is bugging me, but not on the trail runs, because I like hearing the birds all around. Besides, I think I’d be a little freaked out by being THAT inside my head while being in the woods.
I’ve put back a few pounds recently, and I think it’s related to seeing that “calories burned” number on my heart monitor. It’s given me the sense that I can eat anything I want whenever I want because I’m burning so much more, and I’m in training. That’s not true, Chris. You still have 30-40 pounds to lose. You’re in training. Eat like you’re in training. I really have to read a little more about it, but man, there’s nothing so conflicting as sports nutrition books. Nancy Clark? She starts off with the old food pyramid. Not the new one from Harvard that actually makes sense, but that old thing?
I think my Core Performance training has been the key to my running success. I work my abs and other core muscles a lot more than someone just running alone, and I also do lots of weight training that focuses on recruiting lesser-used muscle groups in support of the larger ones. These things are making a difference.
Anyhow, I’m doing great. I’m ready for my run. I’m feeling like a superhero.
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