Time flies when you are training hard. With just one week to go until I run my first road race, I continue to push forward in my endeavor to achieve a sub-55 minute 10k and finish within the top 1000. To do this, I have been running outdoors off and on in preparation for this race, and I found a nice semi-hilly park trail just around the corner.
What’s Went Wrong Today:
Well, I had a terrible morning run today, and that caught me a bit off guard. Instead of running for six or seven miles, I figured that it was best to stop after the second mile due to body fatigue, a slowed pace, and unnecessary lower back tightness. However, I think that I know why it did not fare so well this morning. First, I know that I did not eat enough for breakfast, and, without adequate fuel in the body, running becomes more and more difficult. Second, I decided to run with my Camelbak on instead of holding a water bottle for an hour. I guess that I was my lazy way of trying to eliminate the annoyance of having to hold onto something for the planned six or seven miles. That might have added some pressure on the lower back since the front clip is not working (one side is missing from my tour in Iraq). Third, I might not have stretched enough. Stretching is important, and I feel that I stretched enough before starting the run, but that may not have been the case.
On The Bright Side:
I probably could have hobbled along at a continued slowing pace and got in a few more miles, but I shut it down in an effort to get refuel the body (ensuring that the muscles stayed strong), and I will get it going in the morning. It is all about time and training management at this point, and I have to ensure that everything continues forward as planned, and I stay on track to peak for the race! Also, I have tried the PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts and found them to work pretty well. I might try something different for the morning run just for comparison purposes, but we shall see.
