Hustle Hard

Weekend post.

Saturday.. 10 easy miles on plan. Cutback weekend.

I didn't wake up with my first alarm. Got out a few late... I forgot to account for stretching time and a bathroom break...run getting shortened.

I start at 5:25am. A gnat immediately flies in my eye. Great start.. Take a few steps and oh god... My left calf....

The spot the physical therapist dug into like there was gold in there multiple times was screaming. I could barely break out of my jog.  I felt a lot better running Friday than I did post therapy beat up. I sure hope this is worth it.

Begin mental breakdown.

I just want to feel stronger again. I keep telling myself my leg would warm up. That is was from therapy.. don't freak out. 

Get to my stretching point. Edge of a thunderstorm rolls by.. sprinkles and lightening... Maybe I'll go home and try this later.. just a few more miles. Gotta hustle. Closed mouths don't get fed on this training boulevard.

The refrain from this song keeps repeating in my head, and gets me through a few rough spots in my runs.

 

I slowly can push off that leg again. My pace normalizes, but now I'm getting bathroom alerts.
Pit stop!

2 miles left and these two fast runners run by mile. I already had to cut a mile out of my rub, and I'm still cutting it close.  After they get ahead by about 15-20 feet, I hold their pace. This will get me home quickly.

Then my legs turn on. The outside world goes silent. My brain tells my body to flood the adrenaline and this tune goes on:


(Note: I really want to go to a Daft Punk concert)

My mind can't negotiate this. They get closer to me. Are they slowing down? I fly off. I shouldn't. I don't need to. It is rude. But I already have.

You know when you have a blind rage to go fast?

A ridiculously fast mile later I come back to my senses, look back and nobody is there. I wonder if they were real. It was a little glimmer back to how I felt just a month ago pretty constantly.

I get home thinking the kid is still asleep. I check the monitor, she is sitting up and says, daddy!

I walk in sweating with my yoga mat and water. She gets up and hops around me as I stretch.

At night (see 4pm) we go to Taste of Peru and enjoy a super tasty dinner. I highly recommend this place!

Sunday run. Another 10 easy pace miles. I decide to not set an alarm... I needed sleep.

Get out around 8:15am.

New ache to deal with today. More the area of the subjective complaints of shin splints. I'm getting real sick of this. One part feels better. The next lines up. Maybe those muscles were compensating for the previously sore ones. They better all get this crap out of their system soon, ain't nobody got time for that.

No rush at least for pace, just do it. Hustle for those miles. I tell myself, if I made it through yesterday, I can do today.

Within the 10 minutes I take to get to my stretching area I'm already sweating a ridiculous amount. My pace is a lot better than yesterday at least. I'll take what I can get.

This run is a steady run, I try to make sure the pace doesn't require much effort.  I refrained from chasing anyone that had a faster run on their schedule and kept on my humble way.

Highlights - I saw Pete @ The Lakefront Trail, a coworker, and a later confirmed sighting of Hillary @ Tongue in Chic.

 The ache/tightness in sides of my calves (yes both this time) eased up about 6 miles in, and I was glad to be at least exercising. I had about two instances of tightness in my original strain area, although I know it is all related.

Glad it is a cutback weekend. Not glad that I am not getting a more consistent string of feel good runs.  I'm not falling off any physical times, but mentally, it is getting tougher to believe that I'll be able to keep this up and rehab. But I believe enough that I can.

And I still believe that the rehab people will be able to get me in my fighting shape by race time (even though I currently am only scheduled for 2 more weeks..).

Enough of the boo hoo talk.

And a big holler to Annabelle @ Fluency's Folley for getting first place among women at the No Frills Marathon today!

This was obviously how she reacted upon crossing the finish line:

Aight, Thanks for hanging around for my ramblings!

Have a great Labor Day tomorrow!