it’s been a rough week in running for me. i have been in a little random funk, work has been super busy and annoying, and its the 2nd highest mileage week of the schedule (and a new weekly mileage PR). i got all my runs in, although not quite at the pace i hoped, i did get the miles done… 51 total.
to recap on week 5:
thursday: 11 miles w/6 @ LT
GAH i hate these runs. i just dread them all day. i know that is a bad attitude to have going into them but they are just hard. last week i had a great one and hit it right on target, i was hoping to do the same on this one.
i did my usual routine and changed at work, went to my car to put my stuff away and realized that the body glide that was supposed to be in the car was nowhere to be found. there wasn’t time to go home and get it before the sun went down so it was just going to be a glide-free run… fun, my favorite kind.
my plan was 3 miles warm up, 6 miles sub 8 min LT, and 2 miles cool down. i got running and i started off fine, i actually had to slow myself down on my warm up miles, reminding myself that i would have plenty of time for the speedy miles. once i hit mile 4 i picked it up, and was going a little faster than i wanted so i slowed it down a bit. i wanted to make sure i had enough gas in the tank to finish up these 6 miles. i hit the first one right on target (7:58). the next one came and i was already getting tired. it was hot out (80s) and i was huffing and puffing already. i knew this wasn’t a good sign. i TRIED to silence the voice and kept pushing and got the next one in on target again (7:54). the 3rd one was a struggle i told myself if i kept pushing i could take a break after this one (7:55)… so i did. i stopped to catch my breath, walk a bit, drink some gatorade and splash some water on me. at this point i just lost it all together. there was nothing left. i decided to just try to keep the pace quicker but not worry about the sub 8 min miles and just get this thing over with. my last 3 LT miles were: 8:16, 8:29, and 8:31… definitely not what i was hoping for. i finished off with 2 cool down miles @ 9:22 and 9:36. i was not happy and i felt like crap after this run. i further punished myself by getting in an ice bath when i got home – that’s what you get legs! i was pretty out of it the rest of the night. i was so cold so i layered up and fell asleep fast in a state of exhaustion (after watching the office of course), only to wake up a couple hours later burning up from all the layers!
11.0 miles/ 1:35:02/8:38 avg pace
friday morning i woke up and was able to reflect a little more on my run. at the time it seemed so bad and i know i can be really hard on myself sometimes… but looking back i am like ok, first off this is the week i am running more miles than i ever have before – my body is still adjusting to this madness of pfitz, these runs happen! i always say that the sucky runs are what makes the good runs that much better… so i just have to tell myself that. when i was talking about it to a friend i was thinking… well i still got the miles in, even though they weren’t as fast as i hoped, it wasn’t that bad.
friday: 5 easy miles
nothing too exciting about this one, just an easy non-eventful 5 miler
5.0/45:15/9:03 avg pace
saturday: 18 mile long run
i woke up at 6am and was out the door by 7 to meet my friend in SF. once i got there i got a message from her that she couldn’t make it today… so i was on my own!
i started at the ferry building and headed along the embarcadero towards AT&T park to pick up a few miles first. i was feeling fine, a little slow but just trying to get warmed up. it was pretty chilly so i kept my long sleeved shirt on and just enjoyed people watching as i went… there were soooo many other runners out!
under the bay bridge
went around the back of AT&T park
another view of the bay bridge and all the boats!
once i was back at the ferry building i was just over 3 miles so i continued along the embarcadero toward the golden gate bridge. its all along the water, goes through fisherman’s wharf and the marina area then ends close to being under the golden gate bridge. i have done this run a few times and have always enjoyed it. its nice to have a change of scenery and like i said before there are always so many other runners out, so its fun to watch. as the miles went by i wasn’t really feeling the pick up in my pace like i usually do. i wasn’t too worried and just wanted to run by feel… i was keeping at 9 min pace or just above, so not too bad. it was REALLY windy for a few miles once i got near fort mason. i felt like i was running so hard but i wasn’t moving anywhere. the wind definitely through me off. i hit the dead end to turn around just before 9 miles, so i stopped, took a couple pics, ate some moons and drank some water and then i was off again.
view of the city
i was feeling ok at this point, not great but not horrible, so i just kept on going. the wind had died down a bit so i took off the long sleeves. i am not really sure where it happened but i just really started to struggle. for a minute i had felt like i was finding my pace, but it didn’t last very long. my legs were feeling heavy and my head just wasn’t in it. to make things worse i had to run past the ferry building to add on the last 3-4 miles. i just kept telling myself “its almost over”. once i got to AT&T park again i just stopped and had to take a break. i could tell i just wasn’t in it. literally 10 seconds after i stopped for the break, my phone started ringing and it was chris. he asked if i was done yet and i said i still had 2+ more to go and i just started crying. i have never cried during a run before… actually i have never cried after a run either except for after i crossed the finish line at SFM. i had no idea what was going on with me and i just couldn’t stop. he asked if i was hurt and i said no, so he said stop crying and get those last 2 done – you are almost done! so i hung up and started running again, very slowly but i was going. eventually i made it to mile 18 and was so happy to have this run over with… even though it was no where close to my 18 miler for SFM.
18.0 miles/2:46:31/9:15 avg pace
i ended up crying a lot of the way home too… but eventually calmed down and was able to talk myself through a little bit of what happened. first, i know in the moment things always seem way worse, so i knew i shouldn’t dwell on anything at that time and should give myself a couple hours to calm down before i started to really think about things. i got home and took an ice bath (felt so much colder today than the last few!), then took a shower and went to a late breakfast with chris. we sat and talked about a lot of it and i was able to see some of it clearer too. this was a HUGE week for me mile wise. i think i was so concerned about getting every single mile in that i just didn’t really pay attention to each run and making sure they were quality. i often think about the next day’s run before today’s is even over with. i need to make sure and start concentrating on the run at hand and not worry about what else is going on. i also think my body is still adjusting and getting used to this schedule. hopefully in the upcoming weeks i will be able to handle the miles better, and make them better miles since i know i can do them. if i continue to feel the way i did this week, i am considering cutting back some also. i would rather have good runs with less total miles, than to run a ton of miles and feel crappy on them all. so we will see how next week goes. i also have to remember that last week i had a bunch of great runs… every week can’t be great. i am going to have off weeks, i am going to be tired, but pushing through these runs and finishing them are what is going to pull me through on marathon day. you always pull from those hard runs, and so even though it would be wonderful in a perfect world to have all great runs, i think those hard, mentally and emotionally challenging runs are ones that you really end up pulling from come race day.
i am really looking forward to spectating tomorrow’s marathon also. i think it is just what i need to get a little inspiration and excitement under me for next week’s training. i have a half marathon next weekend then a 20 miler the following week. i am really going to focus hard on my runs next week and make sure to listen to my body too. right now i am looking forward to the rest of the weekend to rest these tired legs 
after all they did run 51 miles this week (and hard ones at that)! i am pretty proud of that!
51 is a LOt of miles. You did a great job pushing through some hard runs. Especially on the long run when your friend didn’t show up – that would be really, really hard for me. Nice job getting through all of that running, and keep your head high!! I could see myself crying too!!
Holy Moley Woman; I think I would break down a bit too under those many miles. So much of running is mental; it’s such a great activity to clear your head, but other times it can trigger you too.
Rest up for next weekend. I hope to be out cheering for you in Healdsburg!
And thanks for the shout out for Nike…
Wow. 51 miles this week? That’s amazing. Really! And your pace is seriously, fantastic!!!
And it’s ok to be emotional over these kind of long training runs. Just think what you are putting your body through. It’s a test of physical and mental strength. Your brain is processing it still… and sometimes, they can show up as tears! Kudos for you for sticking through your training. And sometimes, crying is OK!! Hang in there. You’re done with your 18 for the day!! See you tomorrow!!!
You are doing an amazing job. Fifty one miles on top of working full time is no joke. The runs may not have been your best, but you have to be proud of yourself for accomplishing all the miles.
I smiled at how Chris told you to stop crying and finish, he sounds like Matt.
Enjoy watching the race tomorrow. Smart thinking to go for quality miles too.
Wow, aron-what a post. I can feel the exhaustion and the frustration in your words. I think coming off a great week this was extra hard for you, but mostly I think you’re just being too hard on yourself. You seem to know that though!
First of all, you are so right- these sucktastic runs are what make you tough for race day. Hard runs are part of the game.
Second of all, if you look back at what you felt were “bad” runs, they were, in reality, awesome!! It’s kinda funny if you think about it.
You nailed 3 miles sub 8 pace, then held a strong pace for 3 more miles all as part of an 11 mile run. And you ran a 9:15 pace for 18 freaking miles! Both are awesome times!! And you ran 51 miles this week!! A weekly mileage PR!
Cut yourself some slack, get inspired tomorrow and then come back in full force next week. Definitely cut out a couple miles if it will help you. But you truly are rocking this Pfitz and are on your way to an amazing second marathon. Keep up the good work.
Nuts! I’m sorry you had a tough time. That 18-miler sounds like it was really rough. I think I would have cried under the circumstances — I’m sure your friend not showing up didn’t give the run the best start.
I hope next week is better for you!
You rule! Great pics too.
Thanks for sharing those pictures. Don’t be so hard on yourself, you are doing really well. Better to have a bad training run than a bad race.
Sorry to hear you got so down on today’s run. Just remember: we run for the joy of it! Don’t get so caught up in an arbitrary plan for mileage that you lose sight of the real goal
(((HUGS))) chica!! I totally know how you feel! If it makes you feel better I once cried after a 5 miler ROFLMAO! And I’m TOTALLY not the crying the type. I didn’t cry after my kids were born nor after the marathon LOL. But anyway, I don’t know what the dealio was but the run was awful both pace and heavy feeling wise. I think I was just tired from a combo of things (PMS, training, not getting enough sleep, my poop diet) and I just fell apart and started crying the last quarter mile home. It was poo poo poo. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It happens to everyone. If you need to cutback then that’s ok too
Sweep it under the rug and keep truckin better weeks are coming!
oh Aron, I know exactly how you feel!!! These kind of runs happen (especially with Pfitz, the bastard) but I have to say…you nailed it! 51 miles! Hold your head up and be proud of what an ass-kicking accomplishment that is!!! It was tough, and you triumphed.
You rock!!
Aron…great job on the HUGE week! and congrats on the mileage PR!
About the tempo run…it was HOT out – give yourself a break! And, you finished. I probably would have quit after 3. But I learned to love these runs. And they definitely give me confidence during those tough miles during a half-marathon or marathon. If only I could learn to love the long runs…
And can I just tell ya how incredibly jealous I am about where you get to run? After running the SFM, I was definitely jealous of all the runners that get to run in those settings day in and day out.
Hold you head up high and keep plugging away knowing that it’ll all pay off come December 7th (hopefully for the both of us)!
You really did have a rough one, HUGS! 51 miles is HUGE and that’s awesome that you got every one in. Sometimes that combination of emotion of exhaustion just build up, but once you release it you are able to start over again, all fresh and new. Enjoy watching the marathon, and remember to celebrate your victory of running 51 miles this week!
Hey aron…
I think you are totally awesome…pushing yourself through like that. But having said that, 51 miles really is a whole whole bunch. In comparison, I’ve trained for 4 marathons, and going for a fifth in 2 weeks, but have NEVER done a 50 mile week, ever…so just realize that it is a big heavy toll on the body.
Also, remember that as you build up in mileage, you have to decrease the speed of the runs. You really shouldn’t be doing both at the same time. Like you said, quantity or quality…So, just a bit of advice that on your high mileage weeks, expect your pace to drop a bit…otherwise you’d really be exhausting your body.
Congrats on completing the miles. I’ve done that embarcadero run several times myself and can say that it’s the best for a long run.
Rest well.
51 miles is a LOT. And on top of being busy at work, you were probably just worn out. Still, that’s a great 18 miler! And very scenic.
WOW 51 miles! That is a ton! Glad you are feeling better now and I hope the marathon was fun to watch! Keep working hard – Hope this weeks runs are better
First of all, LOVE the pics! I have only been to SF once, and ran there a couple times by where you were and I LOVE it there.
51 miles is amazing! You should be so proud of yourself. I only did 41 last week and all this week I was so out of it I only ran twice. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body, you know?
I think the marathon will be a great way to inspire you again. And you’re lucky to have Chris to help you get through stuff like this. He sounds like a keeper.
Hope you’re feeling better soon.
Oh man, I think you did AWESOME. FIFTY ONE FREAKING MILES? That is so, so many. Maybe some weren’t as fast as you’d have liked (they still look fast to me!) but you didn’t skip a single one! People finish marathons with a few missed runs, life happens, you know? I look up to you and what you’ve accomplished. Ans it also looked like a beautiful run, so awesome that you took some pictures.
Hang in there – hope next week is easier mentally.
love the GG bridge picture!
i take 1500 to 2500 mg of glucosamine a day.
Wow! 51 miles? That is a lot!
Way to make it through such a huge week . . . and just think of those emotional ups & downs as training for emotions of the marathons! You'll be ready for anything!
hey aron! don’t be so hard on yourself. you had a HUGE week, and maybe the runs felt crappy, but they won’t all be like that. you are a really strong runner. next week will be better!
and having a good cry is therapeutic
Congrats on completing a 51-mile week! That’s HUGE, especially at the pace you run them at. And you’re right, you always pull from those hard ones.
Great job getting in all those miles. That training program sounds tough and long, so I’d imagine every time you build up your body is going to tire out…pat yourself on the back for getting all the miles in! I probably would have skipped at least a day.
Aww I’m sorry you’re having a rough week. Way to get it done anyway! Great job and your pictures are lovely.
I’m not using a training plan, but just kind of stealing ideas for long runs and the taper. What do you think of Pfitzinger?
that is aLOT of miles in one week – especially if you had a rough one at work. But seriously – you are amazing – the pace you keep is just unreal to me! and those bridge pictures are gorgeous!
Hey, you know…we all have bad runs/weeks/even marathons. What’s important is that you can ID the problem, lace up those shoes, and hit the road again.
Chin up, chickadee.
i can relate to your rough week. i too had a week of aweful attitude/running. hopefully this week’s recovery will be better.
i love the pictures from cali. i think for spring break my family is going on a cruise that leaves from LA and i can’t wait to take all sorts of beautiful pictures!
even though you had a rough week, your mileage was still awesome. great job!
Oh my goodness…51 miles is HUGE! That an accomplishment.
I definitely have had my share of funks…luckily they always go away…I’m sure yours will too!
You have a fun weekend planned for next weekend…yay! I always like having events to look forward to.
I can relate to the crying spell…I often on long runs (runs of 16 or longer) get really emotional either during or right after…I can’t explain why.
What an incredible accomplishment on a huge week of runs. We all go through funks and this to will pass. Remember it’s supposed to be and focus on how you feel not was the schedule shows. You did great! Hang in there!
Dang, I read that whole post with my jaw on the floor. How cool that you can run in such a neat city? I love that whole area along the water, it’s so beautiful. And dude, I get emotional just running laps for bootcamp, and we’re not even talking miles here, just laps. You are one tough chick! you’re allowed a few tears once in a while
Good job girl, I don’t know how you do it *shaking my head*
Aw Aron, I’m sorry about your rough run. I give you huge kudos for hanging in there and getting it done. That takes a lot of will!
I love the pics and wish I had scenery like that for my runs. Hope you had fun at SFM!
Wow…that is A LOT of miles. I can’t even imagine! Glad to hear you finished even when you didn’t want to. Even at much lower mileage I still hear ya on the frustration we sometimes face when the brain has a goal and the body isn’t cooperating!
Awww– you did an amazing job pushing through those difficult moments and I think your analysis is spot-on. Although I always have trouble making myself believe it, completing those hard runs is much more of an accomplishment than hitting pace goals easily. I hope the rest of your weekend gave you a chance just to relax. I’m a big fan of crying and think it’s a good release and way to purge negative emotions and fear from our minds, so as painful as that episode was I’m guessing it is a prelude to some very good runs!
Congrats on getting it all in, because that was one hell of a tough week.
You sound a lot like me, worrying about the next thing before you’re done with the first, but I think that makes us awesome. It’s great that you have someone like Chris to talk you back from the edge. Sometimes we’ve got to listen to other voices. They help us realize just how great what we’re doing is. And you’re doing something great!
Wow! You ran a ton of miles! Congrats on that! I am sorry you had a tough week. Way to push through the rough spots and keep going!
You ran a ton of miles this week, Congrats!
I know how the emotional miles can be, seriously, you don’t know what is wrong and what is right. I had a week like that a while back and it was rough, but don’t worry you’ll pull through it. Great amazing pictures. You make me excited to run the SF 1/2
PS I cry all the time on my runs… people probably think I’m a psycho!
you are such a rockstar!!!!i can’t imagine running 51 miles in a week!!! i would have totally cried as well!! but be proud that you were able to stick through it!! you’re an inspiration to me and I only wish I could run as fast as you!! you’re going to rock CIM!!
Wow! That sounds grueling. Way to go with keeping yourself going through physical & emotional pain. It's so funny how your body can react so differently to the same number of miles on different days. Hope your next run rocks!
Sounds like a tough one, and when we start to stress over getting all those miles in, especailly 51, then it stops being fun and ends up being work.
Good news is you got it done and it’s over with, focus on where you had rough spots and be prepared for them on the next go round. you did a great job on the run thought… keep up the good work
Hey girl – I’m behind on my google reader, so I know you’ve already posted that you’re feeling better about all this. But I just wanted to say I so know what you mean. There is so much mental stuff involved in running, and we also have to remember we’re being hard on our tough little bodies. Some days are better than others… some whole weeks are better than others… just like some race days are better than others. I beat up on myself sometimes, but then I try to remember to take it one run at a time and to try to enjoy it… to feel the wind on my face, stuff like that. It still can be a drag sometimes, but next thing I know I go out and have another great run and I feel better again.
I hope this week ends up being a great running week to make up for a tough one!
Oh Aron – I’m reading this after reading that you’re okay now – but believe me we all feel this way sometimes particularly when we start pushing ourselves like the pfitz makes us..
I am thinking of jumping from Higdon to Pfitz for London 2009 and believe me, I can see that it will be a big jump in so many ways. Knowing that youv’e gone through it helps!