Training: Antibiotic Update and Jingle Bell Jogs

I’ve hinted at this the last few weeks, but I’m in a lull with my training.  Generally my training lulls occur when it gets colder but in this case, it’s coming from still being affected by antibiotics. 

As I mentioned earlier, I began taking antibiotics over a month ago for my skin.  While they were making my skin better, I started having side effects.  I felt bloated, lethargic and tired all if the time.

My digestive system has been off since beginning to take them as well. Outside of my physical issues, I was started feeling mentally depressed and depression is something I’ve dealt with before.

It seemed like an easy fix, stop taking the medicine and feel better.  I stopped taking the medicine on December 1st but now three weeks later, I feel slightly better but not great.

While the change in medication does affect me daily, it’s something I’ve chosen to omit from the blog. There isn’t much more I can say other than I must give it time. My doctor has been great working with me to get things sorted out. The last month has, however, caused my mindset with running to change and I’m happy to be able to run right now.

Monday:	Easy Run
Tuesday:	Easy Run
Wednesday:	6X1 mile repeats (average 6:45)
Thursday:	Rest
Friday:	Easy Run
Saturday:	Jingle Bell Jog 5k (19:30)
Sunday:	10k tempo run (6:45 pace)
Total miles:	73 miles

Workout Wednesday: 6×1 mile uphill mile repeats (average 6:45 pace)

I felt okay.  I definitely felt my stomach during this workout. I ran 6×1 mile with short uphills and took 90 seconds rest in between. In total, I ran 14 miles for the day.  It was a boring, lackluster workout.  My paces were adjusted accordingly for how I felt.

Saturday: Jingle Jog 5k: 19:30.

I felt better than Wednesday. It was a local race and my A goal was to run around 19:30. By some miracle, I hit that right on the head. My next few 5ks are all focused on getting quality, workouts versus running for a PR. It was a windy race and my splits were 6:09, 6:21, 6:36. I definitely felt untapered and my calves were sore.  My stomach didn’t act up as much as Wednesday so it was a small victory.

Sunday: 10k tempo run (6:46 pace)

I felt the best all week during this workout.  I am happy it seems like I’m making progress with my stomach. My splits ranged from 6:33-7:13 so they were not as consistent as I should be.  Like I said earlier, I’m happy to be running and the last couple of weeks have humbled me.

Summary:
This is the most depth I’ve talked about my running lately, but the antibiotic have been taking a toll. My legs feel decent, but my stomach has been all over the place. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see improvements before the New Year. It’s not hindering my personal life to the most part, but it’s been hard to feel motivated to run.  It’s honestly obnoxious because as if I’m started to finally feel strong while running then I have a setback of something that has nothing to do with actual training!

This week I also recapped my 2015 training and running life.

Part 1: Getting Over and Injury and Marathon Number 2

Part 2: A lot of 5ks

Questions for you:
When was the last time your motivation was low?
Have you dressed up with an ugly sweater, hat or socks this holiday season?