Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Aaaannd the Pendulum Swings Back...

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So, yeah...

Remember what a badass I was a week and a half ago when I ran all those miles in one week (31:11 miles to be exact) and was so cool and proud and felt like a rockstar and blah, blah, blah...? Well, it seems as though old Newton's Law of Universal Gravity (what goes up must come down) is in full force as far as my running is concerned.

Last week I ran a total of...drumroll...

3.1 miles

(Insert Debbie Downer soundbite here)
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I'm not quite sure what prompts me to run my ass off one week, then decide the next week that I can become totally lazy. It's not like I was tired from the mileage. I wasn't burnt out at all. I'm not injured. I'm not busy. It's almost like something in my brain gets all fired up and tells me I am a dedicated runner (something I am still coming to terms with since I was never an athletic child/teen/young adult). I make a plan and go, go, go. Not all Type-A, but with regular common sense. Then, I reach a short goal (a good mileage week, five pounds lost, a PR on an easy race, etc), I get all cocky and something deep down inside tells me,

"It's OK. You can quit pretending so hard to be a healthy athlete. Sit down and relax and be the lazy bum you really are. You deserve it, you ran over 30 miles last week! You wouldn't have done that 10 years ago!"

Stupid devil's advocate.

It seems to me that I have a severe case of Bipolar Running.

It always seems to happen this way. I get on a roll for a short amount of time. Then I pat myself on the back for a job well done and reward myself with laziness (my favorite treat), not just in running, but with any excercise program and eating in general, which is the main reason I have always had issues with my weight and health. I guess it's just annoying that as I've gotten older I seem to have gotten a grip on this aspect of my psyche with every issue except running and eating. I often wonder how many other runners and people in general out there who always seem like they have their sh%t so together go through this very same thing.

Anyway, enough whining. Last week wasn't a total bust. I did go to the gym last Monday to do some light lifting. And those 3.1 miles I ran were for the Mercedes Benz Corporate Run in downtown Miami. It was a decent race, but HUGE (21,000 people running a 5K). It was also extremely hot (upper 80's). I ran a good time (29:07) considering the conditions. I actually wasn't even going to run it that fast, but my friend Mercy was runnning with me and wanted to try for a good time. Actually out of the people that ran from our company ( I think about 20-25 ran), her and I were the 3rd and 4th fastest back and the first girls. Here we are after the run at the company tent.

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Look how happy she looks! She will kill me if she see's I posted this picture.

And finally...
the main reason I didn't do a long run this weekend was because we put it off until Sunday, then when we woke up it was so beautiful we decided to spend the morning on South Beach instead.

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Yeah, I guess sometimes running can wait a day or two.

6 comments:

Sonia said...

Awwwwwwwwwww B-E-A-C-H!!! I AM SO JEALOUS! You have no idea!!! Beach, sun and heat is my passion in lifre (running also!).

Congrats on getting the 3rd place at that race! That's pretty cool!!

I think the key to consistency (for me) is making a commitment to a race and then wanting to do go on the Race Day. When I do not train for anything I can definitely be like you!! Sign up for a half in August or smth!!! :D

Laurel said...

Yeah, I think I'm goning to keep my eyes open for a 10K around here sometime this summer. I start Marathon training in about a month for Columbus.

Let me just make sure I state that I didn't get 3rd in the whole race (not even close), just out of the people from my company (not very many). Ha! But being the first girls back felt pretty damn good!

Michelle said...

Yeah, I think you made the right choice. ;-)

I cannot even fathom being in a race with 21,000 other people!! Wow! That must have been crazy!

Sonia said...

hahaha you know sometimes things get lost in translation for me! Well third from your company is still a pretty sweet victory! =)

Irish Blue said...

Laurel,

Thanks for the post on my blog. I had lost touch with you. Wow, you have been busy runnin' your butt off girl!

I was going to run Chicago in the fall, but I'm seriously considering Columbus too. I'll have to become a regular reader now as we could actually meet.

30 miles, you're a stud! I think my max is 27.

Dori said...

I'm pretty jealous of that beach pic, too. A mental-health day. Rest while you can, since marathon training will be pretty hard-core. And congrats on beating the other women in your company, and some of the men, too.

 
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