"I'm Bleeding!"

If you ever catch any of my Facebook posts you might remember the one about my head exploding. It's getting very close to the expansion limit but of course we all know it's really not going to happen. Sorry to disappoint some of you and myself. Stress is usually at it's highest for me at this time of the year. So if my head exploded then problem solved right?

 

Usually running is very therapeutic and relieves a lot of stress but lately running has been stressing me out too. It has been so awfully hot and humid outside that it's just not so much fun sweating, chaffing, getting eaten by mosquito's, and falling in the dirt.

 

Look at what my camera captured. The very moment Brock thought it would be funny to push me down into the dirt. That's right that face is full of guilt and cruelty. I swear it is.

 

 

 

Jerk face. Brock and I were on a 20 mile run last weekend and on the way back to town we moved on to the shoulder of the road for oncoming traffic. I look down frequently when I'm running on gravel but apparently something decided to dig a hole under some thick weeds. My right heel caught the hole and I instantly went down on my hands and knees. It didn't hurt but it sure surprised me. I've slipped on ice while running but I have never experienced a fall. I bounced right up off the ground and quickly evaluated. "I'm Bleeding!" I say as I hit Brock excitedly. He looked at me like I was crazy so with that I just started running again. I didn't want to hold Brock up since he had an important nap to take.

 

 

On our way to my house I could see the blood running down my leg and the first thought I had was "Cool! My first injury while running. Yeah, I look tough." Us runners are a rare breed. So when we reached my house (halfway to 20) I thought about cleaning up my leg, but instead I just left it alone. Now I can really say I run through blood, sweat, and tears.

 

The mental part kicked in but physically I felt just fine. My legs were feeling pretty good but I was hot and tired. My body felt heavy and my head kept telling my legs to stop. This has happened to me before but I always talk my way through it and finish each mile. This time was different. Even with a running partner I just couldn't mentally get through 20 miles. I hadn't run more than 10 miles since June and I was jumping into week 11 of an 18 week full marathon plan. Crazy? Yes but I still believe I can do it. I sat down by mile 14 and waited for Brock to get to 15 and turn back. I snapped some photos, shot a video, ate a peanut bar, aired my shoes out, and listened to some music.

 

My view from the road

I was bored and physically felt fine so I got my shoes back on and started running to meet Brock. I was so mad at myself for wimping out. I have NEVER done that before. Well turns out this was Brock's longest run to date and he was starting to feel his stomach turn. I ran out of water and quickly text Mike to bring some if he was awake. Brock insisted on running to get his 18 so that's what we did. We walked until Mike showed up with water and little did he know he was giving us a ride back home. So I completed 16 and Brock got in his original plan of 18. I told myself if I made it through all the miles of last week I would sign up for the Blue Ox Marathon. Well I was 9 miles shy of the 50 total I should have logged.

 

Frustrating. I'm still going to stick to the Hal Higdon plan, but lately I've been feeling like this on my longer runs.

 

 

 

Well I'll at least stick to the plan until I complete the Women's Half Series in Nashville. By then I should know if I'll be ready for a full. With my busy schedule I might just have to limit myself to one full a year. My husband would love for that to be true. Little does he know how crabby I'd really be. Just kidding- I'm like the coolest person he knows!