low – mad IT runner

I think I have reached the point where I have to say I overdid it. I’m over-trained, my body is shutting down on me… At this stage I’m able to run for about 45 – 50 minutes and not even at my fast pace. But then legs just… they just stop. Fatigue kicks in, cannot lift legs, strides are very short. Maybe the amount of strides is same but… being so short means covering less distance. Same distance but more time needed to finish run…
I think I’m done. Still have maybe 5 runs booked till the end of the year and that will be it. No more until the end of the season. Low, low, low…
Haven’t felt that in ages… honestly. Haven’t felt this way ever. Even at the beginning of the year when I thought that I was in a bad shape I wasn’t. Now I know that. Back then I was miserable or just little bit down. Now I’m really bad. Overtrained, overweight… Can’t run marathon even in 3:30… What the hell happened?
But, as you all know already, when there is marathon I follow. And here I was Saturday morning in Longwood. First time for me there. First time, so couldn’t miss it. Was that wise? Probably, definitely not. Should have given my legs a rest. Should stop running 20 km a day without bigger breakes. But again I have ignored my head and body. Yeeea, what could go wrong? Flat course… relatively. Or at least that’s what I thought. Was proven wrong at the end of the run. Maybe I wouldn’t have seen those humps if my fitness was OK but for now it wasn’t flat for me. Lately I have noticed that I’m starting run at full swing and after 10 – 16 km my fuel is gone and remaining distance is a constant struggle or even fight with tired body. For the last 3-4 marathons (including this one) I had so many thoughts about DNF. Was feeling really bad, that idea of stopping, jumping into car and just driving away was very tempting. Haven’t done that but so many times I was rally close to ‘throwing the towel ‘. This run wasn’t different.
Before the race I was feeling OK (unfortunately usual gut feeling bad race will be good, feeling good race will be bad wasn’t working any more). All thoughts focused on the run to finish in 3:30. Should be easy. Week before in Szczecin got small injury and ended up over 4 hours as a pacer but wasn’t counting that time. Previous runs on hilly courses in Dingle, Tyrone were ones were I was getting around 3:30. So, I couldn’t imagine that on a flatter course I would be struggling. But at the end of the day that was the case. But, lest’s start from the beginning. Sunny day, high number of runners. All because of couple distances you could run that morning. 10 km, half marathon, 20 miles and full marathon. I heard that it was biggest crowd to date recorded on the EOI marathon. After inspiring briefing talk by Rory Mooney and kind of ‘Fergie dryer’ from Ger we gathered at the starting line. Plan? Not really. Wanted to get 3:30. Started in pace 4:35 – 4:45 first 10 km. I know that for most of you that is probably jog but for me, especially now it is ‘light speed’. What happened after? You are guessing correctly. Fuel cut off. Not even fumes left. Run with strong will not legs – literally just moving 2 mm above the ground. No speed in them. Why I run again so fast at beginning of the race? Don’t know. All I know is that I had to pay for that stupid idea by feeling big, big, big pain. Really I had to look bad if Andrew offered to give me bottle of Lucozade when passing me by. On each of the 6 loops remaining after initial first 13 km I was just thinking about how slow I’m running and how easy would be to just walk away from that race. Haven’t done that. Maybe my head is stronger than I thought initially. On lap number 7 I even walked, was really exhausted. Seamus helped me with small Mars bar and Redbull. Sugar into blood. That did the trick but just for about 10 minutes. Anyways, have finished my jog in 3:47. Mentally struggled. So, just packed my assignment into car and drove back home.
Why it is going from bad to worst for me? Weight, heavy legs, no rest, head… These were my thoughts on the way back home. Couldn’t relax knowing that following weekend I was suppose to pace Galway Bay marathon. Will I last, will I keep my pace… steady pace? Questions, questions, questions. Just relax… That is what I need now. Read more

Wanted to be in my best shape this season in late September and October. Won’t happen. I think I already got my pick for this year and it was in July. I was able to pull off b2b on the hilly course in 3:17 and 3:14. And after that it was slippery slope for me. I know that I just let myself to do things I shouldn’t. Ate too much, ate crap food. Haven’t been working on my core muscle enough. Basically I just let additional kilos to stick to my body and muscle were substituted by bad, bad fat. I never was very skinny but last year was able to put so much work that actually weight went down quite a bit and the ‘belly tire’ was gone. That cost me a lot of work but was able to do that. So, seems that now I’m just lazy and cannot force myself to do the same.
In my case weight has a huge impact on my running abilities. Every additional kilo is slowing me down. Lack of core muscle adding up to fast tiredness during the race. I never loved running. Even now I’m not very convinced that I like it (especially when results are not as I would expect). I enjoying very much when running ok race. Hate when making mistakes on the course. I’m not very talented runner. I think that all I have achieved till now was a result of work I have put into training. So, now, when training (running and diet) not going as suppose I suffer. I again need to find my Zen… Should stop complain and start ‘doing’. Last week I have tried a fruit and veg diet, with some addition of sushi. Was actually doing OK till couple of days later we started to be very busy in work. No time for lunch break (running or proper food) and I was trying just to grab whatever I could just to kill hunger. I was even able to do 24 hours fasting day. Didn’t have that in ages. But it was just 24 hours and after that I just everything what was in the fridge.
I hope that sharing with all of you will somehow motivate me to get back on track again. I know that support is very important. Thanks Theresa. Sorry, slipped a little bit with my diet but will start again and hopefully for good this time. And if food will be sorted fat will disappear as well. And when fat will disappear muscles should start to grow again. And that should give me good platform to get good times again.
So, my chain would be:
diet –> fat ⬇ –> weight ⬇ –> muscle ⤴ –> health ⤴ –> speed ⤴ –> times ⬇ –> Alan ?
And happy Alan is the ultimate goal. Of course if that would bring as well sub 3 marathon then that’s class. Read more

Tag: low

For love of God – STOP

Timing is everything