Oy vey. Blergy run, let me count the ways:
(1) first long run in over a week [have I mentioned how much I HATE cutback weeks/short runs?]. I hate them. It’s hard for me to get motivated to do them because it doesn’t feel worth the time if I’m going to be out for less than an hour. At this point 7 is my favorite distance because it is my favorite route–hellish uphills on a semi-dangerous road followed by glorious downs on the path through town.
(2) shark week, need I say more?, complete with lady cramps that cropped up in the freakin’ middle of my run. I felt good in the beginning, but ended up walking most of my favorite part of the route because I just hurt and the running didn’t help (believe me, I tried).
(3) f’d up weather. Seriously, I experienced being both over and under dressed this morning. It was cool but sunny, then I went through some light sprinkly rain, then I was too warm, so I took off my baseball cap and gloves and unzipped my layers. Then there was very faint, almost unbelievable but it is April in Vermont SNOW (!!). This was the warm part in which I was still unzipped, sans hat and gloves. Then it was sunny but with a wicked wind that made me re-zip, put my gloves and hat back on. I went from being overdressed to underdressed in about a minute. CRAZY.
Here’s hoping that my 9 miler on Saturday is better.
I always think the best part about some of these runs is that I have no choice but to finish–I’m 3.5 miles from my house and there’s no other way to get back there. I have to keep going. Which proves to me that I can do it. If I was on the treadmill I would’ve just quit and gone home, but outdoor runs make me persevere. And even when they suck (and this didn’t suck, it was just not great) I’m always glad I did it. The only runs I’ve ever regretted were the ones I didn’t do.