Oof, what is that? What is that feeling? I know I’ve felt it before. Yes I realize it’s been a hot minute. No! No, don’t tell me. It’s on the tip of my tongue. Oh I know what that is!! It’s my body experiencing that old familiar soreness associated when you push your body a little farther than what you normally have in a while.
Those 7 miles I ran on Saturday weren’t long, nor hilly, and they weren’t fast. They were just 7 miles that I haven’t run in a couple of months.
To say I’m behind in training for a long, hot, rugged fall trail race is an understatement. I’m behind and I know this. My body definitely knows it based on how I felt after those 7 miles. I could go through every excuse I’ve created in the past month.
I guess in some small part of my brain, something told me, my fall races aren’t going to happen, especially that race that I’ve been looking forward to, and planning for the past two years. And then another part of my brain eavesdropped, and started spreading rumors to all the other areas of my brain…there’s no point in training, stay up late, go back to sleep, it’s too chilly outside, it’s too early, it’s too late, is that a headache coming on, allergies are acting up, you’re cozy, your eyelashes really need a nap, oh look it’s a book!
I could go on.
Subconsciously, I’ve told myself to ease up on training because there is a bright neon sign flashing inside my head with the words: Your Races Aren’t Happening.
My body knows what it needs to do, but my brain is trying to convince it otherwise. Shhh, stop! I can’t listen to it. I shouldn’t listen.
I thought about this a lot during my second run towards this virtual race 50K as I was trying to figure out what I need to do to get back on track.
It’s like when you need to drive to a new place and you don’t know how to get there. You get in the car, plug in the address in the Maps app, and drive according to the directions. Let’s say the GPS tells you to make a left turn at the next light and you miss it. What does the GPS do? Does it say, “Oh well, you missed it. Stop the car and just stay there.” No, it re-routes you, and gets you back to where you need to go.
I’ve missed many turns during my training and now I’m re-routing! Because if these races do happen, I want to be as ready as I can be, and if I need to adjust distances then I will. However, if my fall races get cancelled as well, then so be it. I keep reminding myself that I can only control what I can control. One thing I can control is my footwear! How’s that for a segue?
My usual go-to shoes have been the HOKA OneOne Challengers because I love the extra toe room and because they are super comfy, but they can be troublesome at times because of too much wiggle-room, and during Saturday’s run I felt a hot spot surfacing on my right foot.
For my next run, I decided to take my new running shoes out of the box, and out for a spin! Brooks Adrenaline shoes have been my favorite for years so recently I got a pair because they were on sale! More importantly, they make my feet happy. I did end up getting a small blister.
On Sunday I ran 8.5 miles through a different neighborhood feeling as though it could get me away from the narrow sidewalks filled with other runners. This time it was better, and a few times I got the whole sidewalk to myself and it was glorious! If people were on the sidewalk, I was able to run in the street with enough room to let cars zoom past and not feel like I was going to get hit.
Remaining hopeful and staying positive can be a challenge during these times, but we’ve got to keep moving forward and I’ve got to put in the time and the miles as much as I can because I want to be prepared for those fall races if, and when, they happen.
15.5 miles down and I’m halfway there. We can do this, right? Yes we can!
Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay home (as much as possible). Thank you for reading!