exhaustion

Hi ladies! So I guess I'll be the first non-Julia to post here. :)



My question is how do you know when to stop? Let me explain. I ran 10 miles this morning with Deirdre. After only 2 miles, I was completely exhausted. And not just your normal first-two-miles warmup. I felt like I was running up a steep hill. My lungs were burning and every muscle in my legs were in pain. I couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong. Of course, I figured I'd done this a million times and I knew I could push through it. But the 5-mile turn around I was running 11-minute miles and thought I was going to collapse. I sent Deirdre back on her own and started back very slowly. I actually had to walk about 4 times on the way back.

I would venture to say that as runners we all know our bodies quite well. That said, I have to admit that I knew after the first two miles that I should not run the full 10. But I also knew that I could do it, regardless of whether I "should." I wanted to use this 10-miler as a training run for my upcoming half, but instead it put me out for the rest of the day. I haven't been this exhausted in a long time.

Tell me -- Do you listen to your body when it's telling you to stop? Do you always push through even when deep down you know you shouldn't? How do you reconcile the need to listen to your body and the need to push through your weak moments? How do you decide which is which?

thinking

what do you think about when you run? is running a time for you to really "work things out"? or is it a time to just "let go" and run? i struggle with "working things out" when i run. i'd really like to be able to use the time i'm out to listen to my thoughts, work through them, and feel cleansed on some level after i'm done. my reality is that my thoughts come and go as fleeting ideas and then my mind is on to the next thing. i am distracted by many things when i run: i worry how fast i'm going, why that kid can't control his bike and is veering onto my side of the trail, did i remember to email that client, what lap am i on, my lungs burn, wrong music track, how is my nike+ doing today? is it off by much? i wish i were running with my girls. i wonder how salt lake is going to turn out? is maggie ok? you get the picture.

my goal is to eventually achieve some sort control ... think when i want to, and don't think when i don't want to. when i'm not thinking i just want to be able to breathe, feel the air, and just let go. maybe it's just not my personality. who knows?

a new idea

my bff, kaylynn called today with an awesome idea - why don't we make "love to run" a wiki. after all, you are all the reason i love to run anyway. if you want to contribute as well, shoot me a comment. i'd love it. if not, keep visiting, reading, and commenting - it's about to get way more interesting!

shoe follow up

a big thanks to mom for this share ... :) though i wouldn't recommend running anything in heels!

lesson learned

on a brief side note: 63 ounces of diet coke the night before a run means DEHYDRATION the next day for 14 miles. phew! can we say di-u-re-tic?? :) (and yes, i knew ... but c'mon! a girl needs to indulge every once in awhile, right?)

record keeping

first off, thanks for the great discussion on running in the evening versus the morning. seems like the general consensus is we like to run in the morning. you all have definitely motivated me to try and get my butt out of bed and enjoy a morning run more often. let's also get a "holla" for daylight savings time, though huh? i ran 8 miles last night (in my goal pace!!) and walked the dog afterwards before it was dark. hallelujah.

so my next burning question is how anal are all of you in your record keeping when it comes to your running? since the dawn of my running time, i have faithfully logged every mile, every course, every time, every race. i love being able to see exactly what i've run every week, every month, every year. i know how many miles are on each shoe and when to replace them. i know what goals to set for myself because i can see where i've been. however, it's a little exhausting having to recall and record all of it. do you think it's worth it?

i use a few different ways to keep track of things. nike's training log is fantastic, just due to the fact that is talks with nike+ when i upload runs from my ipod. i also keep a separate excel log that i can manipulate and total. yes, double record keeping i know. but it works for me.

night and day

erin just posted a goal to get up and exercise every morning at 5am. what a champion. i, myself have always struggled with getting up earlier than needed to get in a good run or workout. the only time i ever had a semblance of morning workouts was last spring and summer with maren who got me out of bed at 6am two or three mornings a week. so here are my thoughts on morning and evening running.

morning running: what a fantastic way to start your day, huh? nothing like hearing the morning birds chirp, enjoying the misty air, and only having to shower once during the day. but SHOOT! i freaking want to stay in bed and enjoy that extra hour's worth of sleep, you know? i do find that the rest of my day is fantastic if i've already run, but it is more than difficult to not hit snooze and cozy up in the covers for a few more minutes.

evening running: i also find it is a nice time of day to be outside. though you do take a gamble with the weather being a little warmer in the afternoon. after a long day of whatever it is we all do, it's sometimes really hard to want to lace up your running shoes and pound the pavement. you are probably hungry, tired and ready to relax for the evening, or worse yet have a lot still to do in the evening. evening running does allow the luxury of sleeping later in the morning, and for some of us that is a necessary!

i would love to be more of a morning runner, and i know that will take only one thing: self discipline. self discipline to go to bed the night before a little earlier; self discipline to set out my running gear the night before; self discipline to just get my butt out of bed when that alarm goes off, because let's face it, that is the hardest dang part right there. once you're up, your clothes are on, your contacts are in, and your water bottle is in hand, it's pretty easy to step out that door and go. the other solution i would suggest, other than self discipline, would be to get a buddy. i (CRY!) do not have that luxury here in north carolina, as i left my buddies in california who would get me out on the trails at any time of the day. but for those of you who can, make a commitment to each other. it's so much easier getting out of bed when someone is counting on you.

so, when do you prefer to run and what do you do to get yourself out the door?