BUT I AM LE TIRED

Over the course of the past few days, I've had a lesson in my own energy levels.  Note to self: they  are exhaustible.

I have a really bad habit of starting out on a long, "slow and easy" run and turning it into something completely different.  If I get through my first mile at a pace faster than I anticipated, I start thinking "Oh!  I'm going faster!  Let's see how fast mile 2 can get..." and the original intent of my run is out the window.  I am trying to prepare for a 10k race and would really like a decent time, so I (mistakenly) thought that this type of training would make me better, faster, stronger (thanks Kanye).  I mean, I knew better than this -- but in the moment, it's harder to resist than it sounds.

Needless to say, this type of running caught up with me.  Last Friday I went out for my "long" run and after a mile and a quarter, I had to stop.  Like, bent over, heaving stop.  My body was just telling me "no, no, and HELL to the no."  I had eaten well, I had slept 12 hours the night before, and even taken an hour and a half long nap.  But my body was just in catch-up mode.  I had used up my adrenaline and "race energy" on my training runs because I wasn't doing them properly and getting what I needed to out of them.  I was pretty scared at first, because it's an unnerving feeling to want to get a task done and realize there's no gas in the tank.  But I met my run coach (aka head of our running group) at the track the next morning for a mini evaluation with a heart rate monitor.  Turns out not only had I burned up all my energy reserves, but I had sorely been neglecting my calves.  He took to them with The Stick and rolled them til I thought they must be cookie dough.  I was squealing like a child, screaming even, because it hurt.  But a couple of days later, with a day of borrowed 2XU compression sleeves on them, and they feel much better.  (On my shopping list now: 2XU compression tights.)

Moral of the story: take it easy (most of the time).  I was heading down Injury Road, I tell ya that.  So I've given myself permission to take a few days off from running to mend, rebuild, etc. so that I feel fresh when I go back.  I also work retail, and today is inventory day (yikes!) so I will probably drag myself to my bed tonight after what's fixing to be an 11 hour work day.  Tomorrow -- vacation day!  And maybe an easy run?

P. S.  I may or may not have gotten a new treat -- photos soon, they are fierce!!