Worst run ever

This Saturday's run was hard. It hurt when I started. It hurt when I finished. I don't remember much of it that didn't hurt along the way.

It wasn't the longest run I'd ever done. I ran a route I'd run many times before, so I hadn't misjudged the terrain. I had my trusty Garmin 310XT, so I didn't overestimate the distance. It was hot on Saturday, which of course didn't help.

I was ever hopeful after last weekend's run with Speedy Reidy, but the same bliss was not to be.

First things first, 22ks still isn't long enough for the final long run, two weeks out from a marathon. In my mind, I was desperate to succeed in this run. I felt that if I couldn't get through 22ks easily, I would need to seriously consider dropping back to the half at the Run Like Crazy marathon in a couple of weeks time.

I ran from home into work to pick up my car, which I'd left there after Friday's second of three work Christmas parties. Ironically, I ran past both locations of the parties already passed, and because I'd run to work, finished up on the doorstop of this coming Friday's party.

I know what you're thinking. The Powerhouse had a night out on the tiles... no wonder the run hurt. Happily, you're mistaken. I was home by 7.30, sober, filling my Fuel Belt bottles and organising GUs for the next day's adventure. (When I think about it now, though, my legs were sore from Thursday's massage and tired from standing up for most of Friday.)

I set out from home just under 12 hours later, initially buoyed by expectation. Before long, I became weighed down with this same self-expectation. I stopped frequently, to drink and to stretch, and sometimes to question what I was thinking. I persevered and just over three hours later, arrived at my destination.


I texted KKB from the Urban Village at Kelvin Grove: Worst run ever. Still got to get up the hill to car. Might eat first.

I didn't eat. I felt sick. I bought a water, gatorade and Ice Break from Woolworths (where the checkout operator asked me very politely whether I had an Everyday Rewards card... I guess she wouldn't have known I'd just run 22ks with limited pocket space...).

I don't know what the future is for my dream of running like crazy with T-Bone on December 27. I feel I have to seriously consider dropping back to the half, but this is not what I want.

My strategy, therefore, in the short term is to concentrate on all those things you know you should do when in training for an endurance event - stretch a lot, eat well, hydrate well, and get plenty of sleep. In doing that, I hope I'll be fresher than I was on Saturday, and that come December 27, I'll have the best run ever, instead.