Half Marathon Training – Week 4 – Wednesday – Frustrations Pt.2

Success is not a matter of getting it right every time. Success comes from continuing to persist until you eventually get it right.


I am starting with this quote right away because I have had to once again adapt my schedule and learn from things that did not go as planned. The problem with this is that I have now had conflicts about three days in a row now and it is getting quite frustrating.


Frustrations
1. From the last post on my training I mentioned how my iPod touch was acting up while I was running and I had to run an extra mile and reset the program. After the run, my iPod completely shut down and the touch screen no longer works. I went out and bought a new iPod nano as I have to have my music and my Nike+ to record my workouts.


2. Yesterday I went to the high school to program my Nike+ to my new iPod and calibrate it properly. I was like alright I am ready to go.


3. My wife informs me that we are going to Chicago this week and leaving on Friday. That means that my running schedule is not going to work because I know I will not run while in Chicago. I still had three runs to get in for the week including a 9 mile run that is supposed to be Sunday.


4. I decided to go out Wednesday evening to knock out one of the runs. It is super hot and humid and I actually feel really good when I am out running. I feel like I am running some of the quickest miles yet and when I check my Nike+ it tells me I am running an 11:35 mile. I know that is not right, but it drives me nuts because now I am not sure how far I need to run for 6 miles. I create a course and stop when I feel that it is around 6 miles. My Nike+ tells me I ran 5 miles. I get into my car and chart the course to find out it was actually 6.3. I record the run as 6.2 and feel better about the run. Due to the heat I had to stop and walk a few times as I felt really overheated. My legs were not feeling good either. This is my fault. The night before(Tuesday) I went and played basketball which was not a smart move considering I ran 6 miles that morning. I lifted in the morning Wednesday(the same workout as Monday) and due to this trip I went out to run. My body was being overworked. It was not properly fueled and hydrated either as I was not eating and drinking throughout the day as I normally do on run days. Needless to say it took me quite some time to cool down and I felt nauseous the rest of the night. This morning I feel better.


I ran 6.2 miles in 59:53 which is right around where I wanted to be. I know my running time was faster, but the overall time is higher due to me walking so I did not push too far. I have learned from all this. One I am done with Nike+. I purchased a Garmin watch that seems to have great reviews and runners love. I will try that when it comes in the mail. I have learned not to push my body too far and try to do too much. It is not worth it and actually hurts my training. 


I still needs to run two miles. I have a 4 mile easy run and my long 9 mile run. I am trying to figure out how to fit these in this week. I might run the 9 mile tomorrow morning before I leave and the 4 mile run Sunday when we return. I don’t know yet, but I will get it figured out. I need to get these runs in as next week is a recovery week so I want to see how I respond to 9 miles at this point in the training. Plus the Chicago Urbanathlon is 9 miles and I want to be able to pace myself for that race and begin to train for the obstacles along the way. I once again did not get things right, but I am learning the hard way and figuring out what my body needs as I go along. Keep pushing yourself to new levels and the only way we know what we are capable of is to actually try.

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