Week # 19 -- life gets in the way

Summary for week ending Sunday, May 8, 2016:

Number of workouts: 4
Total miles run: 38.40
Average miles per run: 9.60

Miles in May: 57.47
Miles in 2016: 860.35

After a day of resting on Monday, Tuesday's run felt much better, and not just because the weather was outstanding. Legs recovered, abdomen not an issue. Did almost 10 miles, with the miles seeming to fly right on by because it wasn't same-old, same-old, but on familiar and beloved hometown sidewalks and a little bit through Hickory Hill Park.

Wednesday, I hoped to do the 22-miler. However, I was back to feeling like total crud and it did not happen. I only got halfway (11.21 mi), and I think I was lucky to even get that far. Just shy of mile 10, I was at the corner of Scott and First, and about to head down Scott which would have committed me to at least 4 more miles. Sometimes, I do the thing where I go past a point of no return to make myself do what I have to do, but I got only a few meters past the intersection when my legs just stopped. My brain said "Do not do it. You will regret it. You will end up walking a long way." For once, I heeded the warning -- it was not just laziness. I turned around and went home, struggling a bit even to do that last mile-ish. I was disgusted with how bad I felt, and anxious about how I was not going to get a 22-er in unless I did an extra 9 after the race on Sunday.

I did happen to run into an old friend from high school while heading through Hickory Hill Park around mile 8. She was out doing some hiking and hunting for mushrooms with her youngest son. This was after I had stopped at home to get water and a gel and had considered bailing then, but knew I had to try to get a little more in. I was feeling wretched, and seeing my friend was the only good thing about that whole morning.

I had intended to run some distance on Thursday, but this is where life intruded; other situations came up involving my family, so I did not get out, instead spending it in doctor's offices and the U of I hospital. Too bad on a number of levels: the weather was the perfect spring weather we've largely missed out on this year. (And back in Delaware, it was raining all week.)

Friday I flew back east, and because of the rain, PHL was all messed up and my afternoon flight from ATL was very delayed and I didn't get home until quite late. No running.

I got a few easy miles in on Saturday, and while I did not run nearly as much as I had hoped to while in Iowa, I could at least say that my legs ought to be pretty nicely rested for the half-marathon. The half went quite well -- better than I'd anticipated -- and I will summarize that in the next post.