Just Gettin' It Done

It was 7am. On a Thursday. In North Bethesda. I wobbled around my parking lot and tried to stay warm. Beyond the rows of cars I saw Karl bounding towards me. When we met I pleaded with him to take it easy. My legs were in shambles and I felt tired all around. My hip pain was mostly gone, but my legs were fatigued. He agreed to take it slow and together we ran the neighborhoods of Chevy Chase for an out-and-back hour. Not much to report other than the fact that running easy vice moderate was a good thing. In the afternoon I dragged myself home and decided to run on the dreadmill. I almost didn’t do a second run (Matt Ernst was encouraging me to come out and drink beers), but I mustered the courage and signed up for 5 on the hamster wheel…though I quit at 4. After 25 minutes, my legs became sore I could start to feel my hip. I decided to duck out early and call it a day. 13 for the day.

On Friday, I met Scott and Karl for a run through Garrett Park. Again, I felt tired and categorized this as “"just gettin' it done". I am not sure I can call it 9 miles, but I will. I’ll have to make up a few minutes over the weekend.

As one can tell, I’ve been feeling quite sluggish all week. In addition, I’ve had a bit of a defeatist attitude, which normally isn’t like me. I am comforted by the fact over the past month (or 2 months or 3 months) I’ve run strung together more miles than any other period in my life. I am also hitting times in workouts I’ve never hit before. The foundation has been laid, and in the process, I suppose I am suppose to be whipped. I can look at old logs and see things like “tired today” next to 10 miles, but it’s hard to recall whether my legs have been this tired before. This week is my “high tide mark” in mileage. I was originally shooting for 100, but it looks like I’ll be closer to 90. After this, I go down. I shouldn’t hit 90 again until July. I’ll still be in the 80s for a little while, but I should start seeing more weekly totals that start with a “7”. I am excited to bring the volume down a notch next week as I get ready for the first major race of my spring season – the Van Meter 5 Miler.