My powerlifting competition is exactly 2 weeks away, which means I’m still feeling excited and the nerves haven’t hit yet. I have one more week of “heavy” training before taking it easy for the final week, and today was my final run until post-competition.
I had thought I would enjoy today’s run, knowing that it would be the last one for more than 2 weeks, but I was wrong. Like most Saturdays, I worked today which meant I was up before 4:30 and at work by 5:30. I had a not so great sleep and yawned my way through the first hour or so until the pace picked up enough to keep me too busy to remember how tired I felt. It wasn’t a great work day, but it wasn’t so bad either. I left work determined to go for my final run. I got home and changed into running clothes much more quickly than I do when I feel like procrastinating. It almost felt easy to go for this run!
But then I stepped outside the front door and into the oven! A few days ago, my chiropractor gave me a piece of sage advice…to run the Mission Creek Greenway because it offers much more shade than my usual running haunts. It’s not like I set out to ignore his advice. It was actually wonderful advice, good advice, sane advice! My only excuse for not taking it is that I didn’t want to get back in my car and drive to the Greenway just to go for a run. I know…that’s pathetic.
Yesterday I told my trainer that I was planning on running 10-13 kilometres today. Ha! I was sincere in that intention up until I got home from work shortly after 2:00. My resolve to run never actually wavered, but I was quite happy to cut the run a little short, like possibly 8 kilometres. The actual distance wasn’t of great importance to me, after all I’m taking a two-week hiatus; however, I wanted to have a good run. And I have to say that the first kilometre and a half were rather good. The rest was all downhill, and unfortunately I’m not talking about the actual elevation.
My route for most of that first kilometre and a half was covered in shade. I was deluded into thinking that this wasn’t so bad, but then, as I neared the end of the shade, I stared into the seemingly endless stretch of scorching sunlight and died a little inside. That is when I remembered that this route had virtually no shade beyond that initial portion. Still I trudged on, although I did decide to cut the run down to 6 or 7 kilometres. By the 2.5 kilometre mark I was more than willing to cut that down to 6 kilometres. Shortly after passing the third kilometre, I turned around to head for home, still baking in the sun. The only thing running through my head was a constant argument between finishing the run and calling my husband to come pick me up.
Sanity eventually won out, and I called my loving husband to come and get me. By that time I had already finished 5 kilometres and was nearly back into the shade. I probably could have toughed it out for that final kilometre, especially with all that shade, but I figured that it was better to play it safe. I did not need to kill myself running in the sun today. There is plenty of time for that after the powerlifting competition!
So, today’s 10K run turned into a 5K in 35 degree heat, and I am okay with it! After the competition then I can go back to doing my long runs early Sunday mornings, which would suit me much better than doing them in the afternoon.
Becoming Angela 