My Sucky Run

Last night’s run SUCKED!  It was just one of those runs that just never felt right from beginning to end. I’m not sure of the exact problem, but I’ve narrowed it down to a handful of possibilities. First, it was a vendor night at Fleet Feet and I was testing out a new pair of shoes. Second, my legs were a little tired from the weekend. Third, I think my favorite aunt is getting ready for a visit. And last but not least, I may have been a little under fueled.

March 18 vs March 11 Run

The Shoes

I’ve never been a big New Balance fan, but I’m usually willing to try out a new pair of shoes…just in case.  The New Balance sales rep said the Fresh Foam 980's would be similar to the Brooks Pure Cadence I was wearing. He also said they were soft yet responsive. Ok, I'll try them.

Wish they felt as good as they looked.

Prior to the start of the run, I told HS that it felt like my toes were touching the end of the shoe. When I checked, however, I had enough clearance. It may have been the rubber on the toe, or it could have been my foot moving forward in the shoe when I walked...I don't know. What I do know is that I should have listened to my feet and changed back into my own shoes.

The run started off OK for me, but about half way through the run I developed a hot spot on the ball of my right foot and two of my toes on my left foot were complete numb. On top of that, my Achilles started aching and it hadn’t bothered me for several weeks. I considered running through the pain but decided to be smart and just walk/jog back to the store.

The Legs

Last Friday I did strength training before work and then ran 10 miles when I got home. I followed that with a 50 mile ride on Saturday and a 20 mile ride on Sunday. Monday was strength training in the AM and swimming in the PM.  I think all of this finally caught up with me on Tuesday and contributed to my poor performance.

The Other Two Issues

My favorite aunt is increasingly becoming a problem for me. Not only are her visits becoming more erratic, but they are physically taking a toll on me. About a week before she shows up I get a bad case of insomnia. This means I go from about 7-8 hours of sleep a night to about 5-6. This is not good! I also retain a ton of water and my motivation drops to about zero. All I want to do is sit on the couch…ugh.

In terms of fueling, I really don’t think I ate enough yesterday and probably should have had more carbs. I had an egg white omelet at 4:30am…probably about 250-300 calories. My morning snack was a 240 calorie protein bar, followed by Shakeology with a banana for lunch (around 260 calories). My afternoon snack consisted of a prepackaged bag of trail mix from Trader Joe’s (170 calories).  When I got home from work I had a couple handfuls of Mary’s Gone Crackers, unsure of the calorie count. Prior to the crackers, I had consumed 970 calories. Even if I ate 500 calories work of crackers, I would still be on the low side considering I was going to go run 6+ miles.

Plan for Next Week

Next Tuesday is another vendor run at Fleet Feet. This time the vendor is Salomon...which probably means trail shoes. They are also going to be serving ice cream. My plan is to skip test driving the shoes. I already have a pair of Salomon trail shoes and don't really need to replace them. The other part of my plan is to eat the ice cream first to ensure I have plenty of fuel for the run and to quiet the possible sugar demons set loose by my aunt! As for the leg issue...my guess is that they are going to be tired again. LOL