Like many people I struggle with sleeping the night after a race. My legs normally twitch and I stay up later than normal. That being said, I am not overzealous enough to bring out a race recap just yet but I was able to write up last week’s workouts.
| Monday: | Easy 60 minute Run |
| Tuesday: | Workout: 4X1 mile repeats (6:23 pace) |
| Wednesday: | Run with Julie |
| Thursday: | Easy Run |
| Friday: | Rest |
| Saturday: | 30 minute shakeout run |
| Sunday: | Dallas Half Marathon (1:23.44) |
| Total: | 47 miles |
As hard as it is for me to admit but things have not been going well the last 60 days. While in general I’m making my intervals for workouts, I’m not feeling good doing so. I’ve felt bloated and puffy the last few weeks. My stomach has felt off and it feels very similar to last year when I was having a reaction to my dermatology antibiotics. I am not, however, on antibiotics right now.
Is it stress from the Holidays?
Is it stress from life?
Am I burnt out? I don’t think so because I want to run. My mind wants to run fast but right now my body doesn’t quite understand that.
I’ll have a longer post later about my plans for the next training cycle as well as 2017. I’m currently trying to write a post but it just looks like word vomit.
Workout: 6X1 mile repeats at half marathon pace (6:23)
This didn’t feel great but not awful either. It’s ideal for a workout to feel great the week before a race, however, I did not. This was both a mental and struggle to complete. It should have felt effortless, however, I felt like I was working extremely hard.
I recovered and just tried to mentally focus on the Dallas Half Marathon. As some may recall, I debated doing the full marathon and by this point I’m glad I did decide the half marathon. I’ve been both mentally and physically all over the place.
Dallas Half Marathon (1:23.44)
On paper, a 1:23.44 is my third fastest half marathon and my fastest since my ankle fracture. When I ran both the Carlsbad Half (1:22.57) and the Atlantic City Half (1:23.23), I felt on top of the world.
While running yesterday, I didn’t feel amazing or fantastic. My splits were consistent and I ran between a 6:12-6:32 mile. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely pleased with the Dallas Half but I cannot say I felt “on top of the world” or amazing while running.
So in summary, it’s hard to complain when I run fast even though I didn’t feel the greatest doing so. It does make me hungry for what I can do when I feel 100%.
Posts from the week:
I Don’t Hate the Treadmill
Brooks Ghost 9 Shoe Review
Questions for you:
Have you ever just “felt off”?
What was your best workout this week?
Dallas locals: Is there anything I should do on my final day here?
SO MUCH WOW AND AWE coming your way from AUSTIN.
aww i’m sorry you’re feeling off. Most of the time when i’m “off” my head is not in the right place for running. Even if i feel like running, usually something else is bothering me on a subconscious (or extremely conscious) level. Might be outside stress not related to running?
I’ve felt off since about March! Most of it for me is just work/life balance…too much work and not enough time left over for life, let alone proper training. Like the comment above, it may be something totally unrelated to running. When you’re running at the level you do, even something completely unrelated can manifest itself as a physical response when you’re taxing your body the most. Maybe add a rest day for a couple weeks and see if that helps…
Totally get what you are saying about running a good time, but not feeling great about it. I hope you get to the root of your issue, but it’s super impressive that you were able to bust out a 1:23 in the meantime. I’d love to see what you could do w/ feeling 100% as well! You’re an amazing runner!
My speed workout this week is 3x mile repeats which sounds hard enough, so I can’t imagine doing double that!! Way to go, and can’t wait to see your recap.
It’s funny you say that. I am prouder of races where I have ran slower but have felt amazing. It is hard not to feel your best. I hope you get everything sorted, Hollie!
So funny you wrote this, because that’s kind of how I’ve been feeling recently. I lost my job recently and in between job hunting, temping and everything else, I want to run more than anything- I need that stress relief. But that being said, everything is so full on that my body just doesn’t seem to be able to handle it right now. How do you get yourself out of a funk like that? x
That is an amazing time, especially considering your struggles to feel right. To be honest, I haven’t had many races where I felt perfect, so I am starting to think that perhaps feeling off is a product of jitters and nerves. Congrats on a great race.
Why are you so fasttttt? LOL. My best workout was a 10 mile run yesterday. I was dragging my feet and for the first three miles, I wanted to quit. But I didn’t and it felt just amazing to run those last 7. 🙂 I hope you feel better soon!
I’m in awe that you ran that while not feeling great – amazing! I’ve had those races before as well when things just feel a little off… hope the feeling passes for you soon.
I’m glad to know that having trouble sleeping before a race is kind of a common thing! I just did a race on Saturday but it was an evening race so I didn’t have to worry about sleep as much!
Congrats on a great race and finishing time! I’m sorry you have been feeling off lately. Could it just be that time of year? The darker days and colder weather often make my body feel a bit off.
Congratulations. I totally know what you mean about feeling off, though. Sometimes you don’t have that pep in your step and it feels like way more of a struggle. You’re doing amazing with your training and racing!
Nice work! During race week, I always over analyze workouts. If I do anything at race pace that doesn’t feel awesome, I start to worry. Luckily, my coach reminds me it’s OK to feel like junk the week before a race–because going fast on race day is the goal.