Training week 4

Not so good.

Monday: rest scheduled.

Late long run from week before, with the threat of escaped convicts.

Tuesday: 8 miles scheduled.

Ran 4 miles as recovery in 91 degrees, 49% humidity. My notes say "hard to stay slow." Classic foreshadowing.

Wednesday: 5 mile recovery scheduled.

(I flip flopped Tuesday and Wednesday, and then messed with them some more. Oh, hindsight.)

Ran 10 miles in 1:39:xx at 4:30 a.m. 72 degrees, 96% humidity.

10:57/9:49/9:40/9:44/9:26/9:17/9:41/9:43/9:43/10:10

Thursday: 11 mile long run scheduled.

Ran 5 mile recovery at 5:15 a.m. 71 degrees, 100% humidity.

12:01/11:10/10:42/10:30/10:30

Notes say "tired!" Oh, really?

Friday: Rest scheduled. (I planned on doing Thursday's 11 miles- so why did I run 5 on Thursday?)

Impossible to get up. Felt horrible. Perhaps the newly acquired fever (and accompanying heat rash) and stomach cramps are the trouble? Didn't do anything but wallow in self-pity.

Saturday: 7 miles scheduled.

Again, went the self-pity route. Still had a fever and what I thought was a touch of a stomach virus. I started thinking my fever was low enough to run, but the stomach cramping made me nervous.

Sunday: 18 mile long run scheduled.

The curse of the long run strikes again. Fever gone, but still had stomach issues. I spent the entire day wondering if I should just focus on the half distance. I briefly considering changing goal races to one in December, but that would mean more training weeks (and that is unthinkable at this point).

OK, so this is getting ahead, but by a freak coincidence, I had a check up with a new doctor on Monday. She's a runner too so yay! I told her my symptoms and about the whole running in the morning thing, and she said I was probably suffering from dehydration. Hello! That does make more sense than a mild stomach virus (cause who's ever even heard of a stomach virus being mild?) Even though I was drinking water and taking Endurolytes, I think the increased humidity in the mornings (plus the increased exhaustion factor) was doing me in. So, that's that. I bought some Gatorade and will look into buying some more Heed and stuff too- I really hate consuming extra calories while running, but keeling over isn't a better option.

And that's it for a very demoralizing week 4.