Down, But Not Out

I had a pretty shitty run today; not even a run - a walk. I'm not even going to log it. I'm just going to consider it a cross-train day. I went out this morning (on an empty stomach) ready to run. I had one of my best runs at 3:30 in the morning last Friday so I was expecting something similar. When that didn't happen I started analyzing my situation and trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

It was about 12 degrees warmer. I was carrying a water bottle this time, which was sloshing around annoyingly. I hadn't eaten anything before my run. Maybe my hard work and effort was waning due to an intense, rugged beginning? Unfortunately, introducing several variables into my second AM run left me frustrated and feeling inadequate. My immediate reaction: "I guess I'm just not a morning runner."

I'm trying to be realistic and understand that that's probably not the case. Again, with the introduction of several variables it's hard to pinpoint what it was precisely that made it so challenging this time. So, when in doubt experiment! Here is my approach, my thoughts on the matter, and a few supporting articles from www.runnersworld.com.

Time is going to pass so I may as well spend that time running. I'm going to run anyway so I may as well experiment with it a little. My fear: if I spend to much time dicking around with my workout regiment I am going to lose traction and be poorly prepared come half-marathon time. I'm going to keep running in the morning for the next two weeks, making small adjustments starting with eating something first. This also requires I go to bed earlier. I need to think about how to properly prepare for a morning run. When I run in the afternoon I spend all day planning when/what I'm going to eat, and drink lots of water, so that I'm properly fueled and hydrated for a good run. Given that I'm now sleeping when I would normally be prepping I need to change my approach. This is the part where I *hate* being a novice runner - I don't know what I'm doing!

I'll keep you posted. It's going to be a bumpy ride. In the words of Ray Arnold "Hold on to your butts!"

Here's some fun reads that I found helpful as I worked through this conundrum.

• Stress-Proof Your Running: specifically Maintain Rigid Performance Standards and Pursuing Perfection
• A Full Morning: specifically paragraph 8 which begins with "The American College of Sports and Medicine..."
• Easy Does It: how to run more effortlessly and get more out of your run