Tough Run for Us Both

Yesterday we had only a 6-mile run. How strange that it's "only" 6 miles! I remember when 6 miles was like this huge obstacle ...

I'd been having tough runs all week. My feet were KILLING me, and I only ran 2.5 on Wednesday and 2 on Friday. I've been skipping my Monday runs after the long runs because otherwise it just saps all my energy. But I just felt drained all week. I don't know how the marathoners do it, what with training nearly twice our distance every run.

Matt had the flu SO badly on Sunday. He couldn't get out of bed all day, and Monday he didn't go to work. He wasn't feeling 100% until Thursday and didn't want to push it Friday, so he missed all of his runs this week.

We both had a terrible run! I wouldn't have made it if I hadn't been running with my friend Joanne. My feet ached, my back ached, I had no energy ... when I got done Matt was waiting for me, and he confessed that he walked almost an entire mile! (And yet I still didn't catch up to him!)

I had been aiming for a 10-minute race pace for April 11, but I think I'm more comfortable around 10:30, which is about what I've been doing. Well, the first mile or two I'm at a 10, and while it doesn't exhaust me, around mile 3 it seems that I slow down to about 10:20 or 10:30. I can talk at a consistent rate at that pace, which takes my mind off of the run and makes me able to go further without getting exhausted.

However, I'm sure I'll be running alone for the race. The mentor will be running the Champaign Half, but I think my pace is a lot slower than hers, that she just runs at my pace. There's another lady doing the Champaign Half, but she runs at about 11 or 11:30, which is WAY too slow for me. I tried running with her once and it was just too slow.

The point is, I am afraid that I'll have a really bad run for the actual race. I know that kind of negative thinking is bad, but this week was just so horrible! The coach said that it was mostly the impact of the long run, but also I should check my insoles (we took them out to dry the shoes - you wad up newspaper and shove it in the shoe to absorb all the water.)

And another bad thing - my iPod seems to have died. It will tell me "activity stopped" while I'm running and turn off! I know a 10-minute mile isn't that fast, but come ON! I don't know if I want to shell out another $40 - this would be my 3rd one in 2.5 years ... and they're supposed to last 1000 miles each. I haven't even run 1000 miles in my LIFE!

Well, stay tuned, because the toughest run (until race day) is coming up next weekend - 12 miles on the lakefront again. If it rains, I will be VERY unhappy!

- Lynette