You have to prep for long runs.. or else
So today I was scheduled to do a long run of 20 miles. But I messed up. I didn’t prepare properly for it. It’s been on my calendar… not a surprise… of my own free will… but you’d think I was clueless about it.
I DIDN’T get proper rest/sleep the week leading up to it. I’ve been sleeping like 4 hours a night since Tuesday (just staying up too late (no good reason)).
I’ve been eating poorly. I normally don’t eat very healthy to begin with, so admitting that I’m eating poorly is saying something.
I didn’t carbo load with a pasta dinner the night before (come on, Joe. IT’S 20 MILES).
I didn’t get any powerbars or other snacks to provide energy during the run.
I didn’t buy any gatorade to drink during the run.
I only had one… yes ONLY 1, water bottle with me so that I wouldn’t dehydrate…. ONE?!!?! And I’m talking about the small one that you carry in your hand while you run.
Needless to say… my body was in no shape to perform what I was asking it to do. My poor body…. I sure do abuse it with this sport. In spite of the poor preparation, I was able to complete 15.5 miles in 2:48:17. At the end of 14, my body was starting to protest. It took another mile and a half for me to realize it was not due to normal fatigue, but do to lack of preparation.
You have to learn to listen to your body’s messages to know when it is time to push past the pain and when it is best to listen to the pain and stop before you cause serious injury. Today, I experienced the latter and opted to stop and run another day.
Lesson learned: even if it isn’t “the marathon” you have to take your long runs seriously and prepare adequately for them.
