So, here's a lesson that I learn from time to time...
All last week I was feeling like death because of my hellish schedule and it caused me to feel faint and feel severe pain all over my body. Oh, and...uh, I guess falling off a ladder might have had something to do with it too. I went out for a 6 mile run 2 days after falling but succeeded in running only 3 miles because I was feeling lightheaded and dizzy. But that doesn't mean I can just stuff myself to feel better. I ate the worst food - much of it lacking in any nutritional value - to make myself feel better, and therefore I wanted comfort food. I ran well below my weekly total and paid for it during today's run.
I geared up to run 8 miles today, I ran only 3.5. And the reason is absolutely clear: I had such low-energy that I couldn't run faster than my cool-down pace. Luckily, I had enough energy to keep going without stopping like many people do when their out of breath. Being out of breath isn't my problem. Frankly speaking, I'd rather have been out of breath after running fartleks at a crazy-fast pace than the light-headed, low-energy pace that I jogged tonight. Eww. Jogging.. Jogging should only be done after a hard effort, but we won't discuss that in this entry.
Anyway...I'm just happy that I refused to stop from psychological weakness. I only stopped when there was traffic on the street I had to cross...and those are the 2 times when I realised I felt light-headed and dizzy. So dizzy, everything was foggy and all throughout my chest, it felt like heart burn, even though I hadn't had anything to cause that feeling.
So, there we have it...it takes a really bad run for me to realise that my recent actions (or inactions) aren't going to get me anywhere and will probably leave me more miserable than any body ache I could experience.
From now on, I should muster up my strength and plow through that fatigue and soreness and just run. Even if it's for 2 or 3 miles on my worst day. "Just do it" is my motto, not just for races but for days like these. It is normally a no-brainer for me, but my hellish schedule and the effects of the fall just blew-up in my brain and I had a hard time wrapping my head around how I'd go about defeating this severe malaise.
NO MORE. I'm taking back those days forever. And though today's run sucked big time, it's a feeling I hope to never forget. And, though I've said that I learn this lesson from time to time, it angered me so intensely today, that I vow to not let soreness and fatigue get the better of me. What's done has been done. I have to move forward and never let this happen again. NO MORE!!
