Well, I had all the greatest intentions to keep with my training schedule, but these past two weeks have been quite trying. I am proud to say that though I’ve missed training runs, I haven’t flaked due to insufficient willpower.
May ended with Reunions weekend. Despite being surrounded by a party, I was a good girl and ran my appointed two miles on the Thursday. It was quite enjoyable, jogging through Princeton neighborhoods that I had not seen before. But by Friday night, after two days of constant walking and standing, my feet decided they’d had enough abuse. I was surprised. I had tried my best to protect them, wearing running shoes* around campus instead of cute sandals, to no avail. I woke up on Saturday morning, and though the pain had dissipated, my feet were actually too swollen to fit in my casual suede flats. I took this as a sign and didn’t run until I got back home, even though I had been looking forward to the pleasant four-mile route I’d mapped along the tow-path.
On the upside, I’m certain I walked more than six miles every day of the trip. My understanding of long runs is that the distance is more important than the speed, so I don’t feel entirely like I slacked.
The weekend after Reunions, I woke up with a nasty sore throat but thought nothing of it. I ran my six mile group run with the team, without much trouble. By nightfall, however, the sore throat had given way to clogged sinuses, and by morning I’d developed full-blown bronchitis. I don’t think I’ve ever come down with anything so quickly in my life. Running for the week was shot, naturally. Fortunately, I had recovered enough within a week to run-walk the appointed six miles last Saturday, along a route of my choosing (Vinsetta Boulevard) for a change. I didn’t run the team route because I was afraid of being slow, and a coach having to wait for me to finish… and equally afraid of being too fast for my own recovering good, due to the influence of other runners.
This week I’m getting back on track with the mid-week short runs. Still have some chest congestion, so I have to take it easy. My coach informs me that I’ve got plenty of time to catch up, but I’m going to do the best I can with the existing schedule — even if it means I’m slow.
*I wore my beloved Okabashi flip-flops to the P-Rade on Saturday instead of the running shoes, and my feet seemed to react better. Those things are magical… the best shoe $13.99 can buy… and completely mud-proof. Something to keep in mind for next year.