This has been the toughest come back year of any I have had in the past. Not sure which has slowed me more, age or my diabetes. By now I should be running 3-5 miles most outings but I cannot get past 2 and a half. It's as bad as the year I was diagnosed back in '04. Today the humidity was oppressive. Had to do some Galloway walking intervals just to survive. Oh, well. We will see if next week will bring improvement.
Anyone else want to vent?
Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end. (RF)
By now I should be running 3-5 miles most outings
OK, I have to ask why you think you should be? Maybe you should be right where you are, given the heat and humidity, and what your body is ready for. I have had to tell myself many times that if I am faster than my couch, I'm doing alright! Too much too soon is one of the many mistakes I have made over the years. Had to skip the first 2 half mary's I signed up for because I tried to keep up with a younger/faster group, and wound up with a hip injury that left me struggling just to walk for a while. So get back out there at YOUR pace and for YOUR distance and listening to YOUR body. Don't let the "should be's" chase you all the way to the couch. Stepping off soapbox now .
And yes, I need to tell myself the above too! I did a group bike ride on Saturday morning. It was a big one and supported with a couple of sag vehicles and rest stops w/ cold beverage refills and food. I was planning to do 40 miles, which was the shortest option that day (others going 100K and 100 miles). Had to be able to keep a 16 mph pace to the first rest stop at 20 miles, which is doable for me. Well, the group wound up averaging 17-18 mph, which I held onto for the first 10 miles or so, then dropped back. One of the ride leaders and another guy stayed with me and then we made a wong turn and didn't realize it until it meant we would have to ride well over 40 miles if we wanted to reach the rest/regroup spot. My normal ride leader also got left behind and we found him on the side of the road. So the two of us paired up and decided to skip the rest stop and extra miles and head back to the shop a shorter way. So only 31 miles, and feeling a bit like a loser. BUT, I AM STILL FASTER THAN MY COUCH! Also found out later that the ride had a couple of state champ bike riders in it. I'm sure they were riding off the front (which I would never see anyway), but made me feel a little better somehow.
I deserve a lecture, Carol! lol You're correct in that I need to run "my pace." But, I do have nearly 25 years of running logs and I have used my same 2.5 out and back as my yearly benchmark. That way I can see changes over time and set goals accordingly. I have to keep reminding myself that this year I am dealing with a 3 year gap in training so I need to be more realistic. Something I've been doing this year is running before breakfast. What am I thinking!!?. I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but I took yesterday off and relaxed with family. Today got up earlier and had a 1/4 cup of oatmeal (slow cooked kind, not the pre-packaged stuff) with chopped walnuts about 30 minutes before running the same 2.5 again. The energy was there and felt much better; almost like my old self. My pace was much better and heart rate at the end was improved. We'll see.
Interesting biking story. Reminds me of one of my earliest, in fact it might have been my very first race ever back in the day. It was called the Banana Run (I have no clue why but remember tons of bananas on a table at the finish), a 10k in Utica, NY. The course was mismarked and my buddies and I, of course, went the wrong way and added who knows how much time to our finish. Fun nonetheless.
John