It was a hard week at the cheesemine and that affected me both mentally and physically. It was a hard week with highs and lows. Here is how it went down.
Monday 30/11/15
After my distance PB the day before, I fully expected a repeat of last week’s not so easy 60. I was pleasantly surprised by the spring in my step as I set out early for my run. I ran my city loop and although I had a few niggly aches and pains I warmed up and got into the rhythm. It was a warm and beautiful Hobart morning and watching the sunrise over the Derwent was magical. I had the energy to run a good slow and steady pace and managed to do bang on 10km in the hour.
Wednesday 2/12/15
Demons exorcised I’m smiling 🙂
Work has been playing on my mind and I haven’t been sleeping well. I REALLY didn’t want to get up this morning. Today the demon of laziness was shouting in my head. It was telling me that I deserved a little break and that I should roll over and go back to sleep. Somehow I managed to get myself out of bed, dressed in my gear and ready to head out the door. The wind was howling and it looked like it might rain. I actually got out the door, felt the wind and came back inside. The demon was really doing a number on me. The voice was saying “It’s too windy to run, you’ve got a big day at work” then a lesser demon chimed in and said “Maybe you can run at lunchtime?” I even checked my work diary and I actually did have a run window. Another lesser demon joined the chorus by saying “Just do it tonight after work on the treadmill”. By this stage I had my hat off and was about to take my runners off. Somewhere from deep inside I gathered the courage to say “fuck off demons – I’m dressed and ready. It’s going to take more than a bit of wind to stop me” It worked. I was out the door. The winds of hell died down and I was off to do my 3x3km repeats.
I’ll admit these are not my favourite part of training. You see I just like to get out there and just run but I do understand the importance of all of the elements of my training.
I never regret running and although I can say I didn’t have the best times today (5’24” per km average), I did battle with the demons and won. I got out there and enjoyed a run, the fresh air and a beautiful sunrise. I enjoyed the smile of the friendly old man that always says hello to me on Sandy Bay road. Sometimes there is a victory in just trying.
Friday 4/12/15
Sandy Bay at Sunrise
Easy 60 today. I had another shit night of sleep. I had to have some hard conversations at work today and they were weighing heavy on my mind. I had to tell a few long tenured employees that they weren’t successful in re-deployment and their redundancies would take effect. For some people this comes easy, I’m not one of them so I stress. For me the best way to de-stress is to run and that is exactly what I did.
The weather was amazing and I did my Sandy Bay loop. Again the sunrise was spectacular although I should have worn my sunnies because it blasted me right in the eyes as I ran towards the beach. I felt good throughout the run and managed just over 10km at an average pace of 5’47” per km.
Saturday 5/12/15
I decided to switch things up and do my long run today. Why? Friends have invited us to theirs for dinner and we always get on the gas. I’ve been a party pooper for all of my training but I decided that all work and no play makes Jelly a dull girl. I’m also committed to my program and I just know that if I drink tonight there is no way I’ll be running 26km tomorrow.
I woke at 4:45 and had my breakfast and went back to bed. Woke at 6 but just couldn’t get out of bed (good on you demon!) I was just tired. Anyway, I slept a bit more and had a coffee in bed and managed to get out the door and on my way to the Pipeline Track about 2 hours behind schedule.
Clif Shot Prep
As per previous posts, I’m practicing my hydration and fuelling during my long runs. This week I kept to the winning formula of Clif Shots. I used 4 during the run. To make things easier during the run I took them out of the packets, diluted them in a 4 to 1 ratio of gel to hot water and poured them into my Salomon flask. No messing around with stupid foil packets for me. It also makes the goop a bit more palatable.
I decided to run without music this time. This is a big call because I rely on music as a bit of a crutch. It was strange setting off without the doof doof music. I heard things I never heard on this trail before like the wind rustling through the leaves and the mini-waterfalls trickling over the rocks. It sure beat the usual thudding bass in my ears. I also noticed that I visually took in and appreciated the natural beauty of the trail more than ever before.
It was a very cool and foggy morning with a very light drizzle. Once I got past the first 3km I got into the groove and started really enjoying the run. I felt light on my feet and started counting the wallabies and pademelons I passed. I saw 14 in total during the run. The ground was soft under my feet and the smell of the eucalypts was refreshing. The Manferns had grown so much since the last time I was on the trail 2 weeks ago. The colours were amazing and without the music I was way more observant of them.
There weren’t many people on the trail and I was lost in my own little world. I had my vest to keep my hydrated but since it was quite cool I only consumed 350mls during the entire 26km. The gels didn’t upset my tummy which means I’m onto a good thing with the Clif Shots. I clocked my 26 at 2:33:58 with an average pace of 5’55”per km. It felt great!
Dinner at our Friends was as expected. Copious amounts of Champagne and wine were consumed followed by some demon cognac. I had a great time and had lots of fun. Unfortunately, I knew I was going to pay for it. Thank goodness I ran this morning because there was no way in hell I could have run 26km on Sunday.
Demon Drink
Sunday 6/12/15
So hungover this morning! Why do I do it? I actually don’t really enjoy the taste of wine and champagne anymore. There I said it! I do enjoy a couple of cold beers or a cool and refreshing G&T. I guess my tastes have changed. Bloody demon drink! I think the only ‘shots’ I want to do from now on are Clif Shots during a run. Anyway I spent the morning feeling sorry for myself and nursing a headache. It could have been worse I suppose. I could have been spewing my guts up. Thankfully I didn’t. I didn’t start feeling human until around 4 o’clock. I tried to talk myself into doing my 30 minute tempo run but the best I could muster was a treadmill run.
If you’ve read any of my other posts you know how much I despise the treadmill. Running on a treadmill is mind numbingly boring. I guess in my state mind numbing is good. As I ran my 30 minutes I watched Jersey Shore. I needed something mind numbing to watch on my iPad and that was the best I could find quickly. I think I killed a few more brain cells today watching that shite!
Next week I tackle the longest training run of my program…. 32km. Hope my demons are safely back in hell by the time Sunday rolls around….
Brainless – Jersey Shore and Treadmills
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