Back On Track!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 · Mike Davis

Monday February 20, 2012

Today was my comeback of sorts. After taking ill over the weekend, I hadn’t run since Thursday and quite honestly it took some effort to get out there today! Whatever this virus is, it has been draining every ounce of energy in my body. Because we were off today I was able to take an hour nap before heading out for a run. Mentally I’m not in the best of places with my training and I will have to work on that.

The run started out feeling exactly as I feared; my glycogen level seemed low as I plowed through the first mile. So I decided to take it one mile at a time and see how far I could get. My two was a bit better (mostly downhill), so I was confident I could at least get 3 miles in before I walked. Mile 3 was okay and my confidence was building, so I knew I would get through 4 miles. As I ran mile 5 I felt a little weak, but knowing I was on the backside of my run gave me some energy. I came out of my add on neighborhood and had less than 2 miles left, so I told myself to hang in to mile 7 and that seemed to help. The wind was a bit challenging at various times and this happened to be one of them. I worked on my stride, trying to stay efficient and clean. Often when I start to labor I focus on my form or some other technique. Focusing on form when I tired is the best way to improve and take my mind of being tired.

I coasted through mile 7 and finished up the last quarter mile which brought me to the entrance to our cul-de-sac. I did my usual giving thanks to the Man above for getting me through it and enjoyed the walk back to our house. Taking each mile independently helped me overcome the mental side of my run today. My body was tired, but this run was possible with some effort. Giving in to the excuse of illness is okay, but at some point I had to overcome. This run will help me tomorrow and beyond.

After getting home, I got some G2 in me and went down to my gym (basement) and did some strength work, again, long overdue. After finishing up with that I did some yoga stretching, then made a great protein smoothie and gave myself three cheers! Didn’t really do the three cheers thing.

I am cutting my week day running back to 3 times and try and add a yoga day in on Wednesdays. I really need to work on my flexibility. Good day for getting back on track!

mike