For todays title... see yesterdays title...

Thursday 15/02/07:
It's not often you'll hear me totally spit the dummy about a run - not often at all... but here goes...

Not only was I drugged up to the eyeballs on painkillers due to f*@#en abdominal cramps, but I was also hungry due only having a light lunch, then getting so busy at work all afternoon that I'd forgotten I'd need fuel for a pm run, until it was too late. By 6pm when I dropped Courtney off my tummy was rumbling, it was still hot and sunny and to top it off there was a rather gusty wind blowing too. Needless to say I wished I had run this morning instead...

Headed off on the 5km loop round the streets that I used to use last year. Intended to do a loop and then some, probably about 8kms. By the end of the first straight the headwind had zapped what little energy I had... It was a relief to turn the corner - for a little while. This is where I started my intervals, but I have to say that my "hard" pace was pretty lame tonight... My arms felt like they were going twice as fast as my legs... my legs felt like I was running thru wet cement... or quicksand... or treacle... get my drift?? And my calves actually ached... badly. On the recoveries I stopped a couple of times to stretch but it didn't help... I was cursing the MT!

I was meant to be doing a 40min session, including the intervals. By half way thru them I told myself that if I could just finish the intervals I could stop running... regardless of the time.

Brisk walk warmup: 5mins
Steady paced run: 15mins
Interval session: 4min hard, 2min jog, 3min hard, 90sec jog, 2min hard, 1min jog, 1min hard.

I then should have run for another 10mins at least, before doing my walking cooldown. But my calves were aching so badly, I was too hot and I felt so generally stuffed, that just getting back to the carpark seemed like climbing a mountain...

So I walked the 5mins or so back to the gymnasium the short way and sat outside on the grass and did lots of stretching instead... I hate cutting a session short and rarely, if ever, do it...
But I'm not going to dwell on it after tonight - shite happens and there were reasons for it that were outside of my control...

... I distinctly remember thinking - when I was about Courtney's age - that I was so glad I was a girl and not a boy, because the boy had to fork out lots of money for an engagement ring if he wanted to get married...! How naive is that - the boys have it easy I reckon!!

Meant to be doing a 35min recovery run tomorrow morning, but I will see how I feel when I wake up - chances are it will be just as bad as today... But I would like to get out there and hopefully loosen the calves some more before Saturday's long run. Oh and that reminds me - I no longer have to juggle my weekends running around due to other committments like I thought I was going to... there's been a total change of plan today and I couldn't be happier about that! Means I can do at least some of the schedueled 100min run with the group. There's a positive note to end on!