I had to work at the running store after work at school today. I set out for a 6ish mile run around the river, and decided to make it a tempo since I was short on time.
The first mile+ was kept at an easy pace, and I was feeling really good. Legs felt good, temps were good, it was just an easy run.
As soon as I got to the river loop, I dropped the pace. Got a pretty good clip going. I wasn't trying to hit any particular pace, but just run comfortably hard. Mile 2 ended up around an 8:19 pace. Still feeling good.
Mile 3 was a bit faster, and at one point I noticed my pace was sub-8. Huh. Still comfortable, but backed off a bit. Just as mile 3 was ending, I noticed my legs were still moving ok, but my body seemed to be leaking energy out at a rapid pace. As soon as I hit the 3rd mile beep on my watch (8:03), I was pretty concerned that I'd trip over my own legs. They were still moving, but I felt like I had less control over them. I felt out of whack. I felt a bit woozy. I wanted to just curl up right there on the sidewalk, next to the river. My legs were still moving, but I needed to stop.
I walked for a few seconds, stopped, contemplated how to get home the quickest, realized I'd have 3 miles to go any way I went, so I turned right around and started back. I started running again after about one minute, but I didn't want to run. I still wanted to be curled up on the sidewalk. I kept moving, though, because I needed to get home and no one I knew was driving by, no matter how hard I wished for it. I kept thinking about a big glass of chocolate milk and a peanut butter sandwich the whole way home.
I realized this must be a fueling thing. I've been eating pretty lightly this week. Not a lot, but some. I'm running less, and I'm starting to feel like the pounds are on their way back, and I'm trying to be careful. I actually ate more today than I have been, but I guess today wasn't enough. Or maybe that wasn't it at all.
Either way, I made it back. Somehow. And at a pretty good clip, too. So the run wasn't a bust. Entirely.
But holy smokes, it's weird to actually feel all your energy seep right out of your body.
2 comments:
Isn't it the strangest feeling when you're bonking, even on a shorter run.
Holy scary all alone. Now for the sister- lecture: don't let it happen again. Did you have your road id on? Eat more when you know you're going to go out that hard. Take something at night to sleep better and try to sleep more. Cripes, borrow a phone from a stranger and call me! /end lecture.
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