Week 4 Day 3 - Whew!

It's been a slightly abnormal week. Yesterday was the first Thursday I haven't run since mid-June. Week four has definitely been the hardest for me so far, so I decided to give myself a rest day, as the program recommends, and run today. Before this week, I could tell a difference from week to week, but the changes didn't seem all too drastic. For some reason, week three to week four felt like a big difference. These five minute runs are pretty hard for me.

Today was the best Friday we've had at work all summer. It was fun and passed rather quickly. After work, I drove to my parents house in Owensboro instead of going back to Louisville. I plan to be here all weekend.

This wasn't my routine, though. I'm supposed to get home from work and run around Louisville somewhere. I knew running here would be different, and it was. I arrived at the house and caught up with my parents for a bit then headed out.

Today was just as hot as any other day this week, except there is no shade around this neighborhood like there is in Central Park. I was prepared...so I thought.

Although the Greenbelt Trail is close and accessible, I just decided to run around the neighborhood. I came out the door sweating already and began day 3.

I got a nice warmup walk in and began to run. Again, the first run wasn't bad. It was very manageable. The trouble, again, came with the first five minute run. The sun was beaming, I was dripping with sweat, and my mouth was super dry. I had forgotten my usual stick of gum to rehydrate my mouth. :( This made me pretty sad. Having a parched mouth and no easy way to cure it was not something I had planned on. Oh well. Just keep running.

The three minute runs are beginning to feel rather easy, but I knew the last five minute run would be another beast to overcome. The 90 second walk before the last run was not nearly long enough, but I followed Alison's demand (she has a nice tone).

Being that the neighborhood is rather small, I was able to make several trips around. This allowed me to sort of guess where I would end up after each run. Based on where the last run started, I concluded that I would be running up the steepest hill near the end. My hypothesis was correct. I did not expect, though, to hear the two minute warning before I made it to this hill. I think that gave me the motivation to push myself. I knew that my run would be over soon after I reached the summit.

My calves and shins were in terrible pain. Going up a steep hill is not easy under these conditions. It hurt, but I pushed myself through it. I made it, without slowing down too much, and continued to run once it had flattened out. Within thirty seconds, I was told to walk. That wonderful feeling of relief was there again.

I was in pain, but that last run didn't feel like it took as long as the previous two from this week. Improvement is good, but I'm worried that I haven't improved enough. Week five is a pretty big leap. It's the first week with different workouts each day. The first day is three 5 minute runs. The second day is two 8 minute runs. The last day is a single 20 minute run.

I'm thinking that if I'm having this much trouble making it through two 5 minute runs, that next week might kill me. This might be the time that I become honest with myself and repeat week 4. I'm traveling a lot in the next three weeks, and I expect my free time to run to be diminished, if not non-existent. It may be a good idea to just take the next few weeks and try to build up my endurance some more before trying to tackle a 20 minute run. Sheesh, doesn't that seem like a big leap to you all?

I'm glad I am able to realize my own abilities and not just try something outrageous that I'm obviously not prepared for. I've had to push myself harder than ever to complete this week's 5 minute runs. There's no responsible way I can do two 8 minute runs, much less a 20 minute run, next week.

It's getting rather late, and I have a tee-time tomorrow, so I'd better wrap this up. I'm pretty proud of myself for making it this far in the program without giving up. It has been one of the hardest things for me, but I've done it. It feels good. Hopefully, I can get some more exercise in over the weekend, whether it be biking, walking, or running.

The song of the run is Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body. Unlike Monday and Wednesday, this song did not come on during the last 5 minute run. I didn't really need a song to motivate me today. This song came on during the cooldown walk. This is my favorite band, and this song is a little slower than the others in the playlist, so it helped me relax a little after such a tough run.




Enjoy the weekend!