Covid sidelined me for 8 full days without running. I felt better after about 4 days and tested negative on Day 7, but I was still on medication and just absolutely exhausted. I’d eat breakfast and need a nap. So when I went out for an “easy” run on Friday for 2.5 miles, I felt like I had run 10. My heart rate was high, my breathing was quicker; I could tell my body was working so much harder to go so much slower. I napped for almost 3 hours after not-even-three miles. It was frustrating to say the least.
On Saturday, I had 11.5 miles on the training plan, but I knew there was no way I could do that. I also had a 5k race I had signed up for. So, I decided to run the race, come home, and do a few more miles in the neighborhood. The race was rough. It was the same course that I had run in September where I felt strong and saw tangible signs of improvement from my injury. But I just couldn’t get my legs moving, everything felt labored, and I was exhausted.
When I’m not feeling my best, loops are easier than an out-and-back run. Mentally, it helps to know I’m never more than a half mile from home if I start feeling crummy. So when I got home, I set out to run another 5k – more if I felt like I was up to it. I was not. I ended up doing 5 miles less than I was supposed to do, and feeling like I was hit by a truck. But – I was back at it! Behind, but back at it!
Week 11: Run 8.9 miles + Walk 0 miles = 8.9 total miles
Cumulative: Run 160.34 miles + Walk 15.82 miles = 176.16 cumulative miles
Comments