OK, so on the 1st I did a 12 mile run. It was VERY rough. First off it was very cold. I finished the run - barely. After I was done I felt like I was about to pass out. During the last mile or two I was very shaky. On top of that it was really cold and my hands were in pain they were so cold. I could barely move them. After the run I wanted to walk a lap (which I typically do) but I didn't think I could even do that. I went to my car and had trouble starting it because I couldn't grip the key. I got it started and had to sit there with the heat going for about 10 minutes before I could grip the steering wheel well enough to drive home, For the first time I thought to myself - can I do this?
So I started asking myself what went wrong. First - the cold. The first thing I did was to buy a warmer pair of gloves (I was using runners gloves which are pretty thin). I also bought a cap and a pair of long running pants.
Second - cold or not - why did it feel like the longer my runs were getting the worse I was doing? Usually in the past I felt good because I always felt that I could have gone longer if I needed to. But not this time. I knew for a fact that there was no way I could have gone any further. I was really depressed thinking I just was not going to be able to do this.
OK, so on the 8th I was scheduled for a 4 mile run. I also wanted to do the Time Trial I had missed two weeks prior, but honestly I ended up not feeling like it.
Funny side story - my wife commended me on my wit with this exchange talking about our plans for the day:
Wife: Are you running today?
Me: Just a short one. 4 miles and a time trial.
Wife: Wow! Time travel? That is so cool. Do the kids know you can time travel?
Me: I haven't told them yet. I'm going to tell them when they're 9. (They're 15 and 19)
So anyway, I continued fretting about how poorly I did on the 12 mile run and worrying about how I would do on the 13 mile run I had scheduled for the 15th. Then I had a real DUH moment. Now before you think I'm a total idiot, take into consideration that I have been working out and speed walking for years. I have never bothered to eat before I exercise. It just was not part of my routine. As my runs started getting longer I would take Goo packs with me for during the run, but I still was not eating before I left.
Anyway, during my monthly chiro appointment I was talking to my chiropractor who is also a distance runner. I told him about my 12 mile run (although I must admit I downplayed how poorly it went - the last thing I wanted was for an expert to say "maybe you shouldn't do this"). He asked how long the run took and I told him 3 hours (actually 3 hours almost to the second). He asked how many Goo packs I ate and I said "two". He said that probably was not enough for a 3 hour run - saying at least three, probably four was better. That got me to thinking - maybe not eating before my run was causing the problems? (I know - DUH!)
There is a chapter in the Galloway book about nutrition, but I was also poking around the runDisney site looking through videos and I saw a couple by the nutritionist. She talked about the importance of eating before you run and also eating right after, and talked about the right sorts of things to eat.So I thought, "OK, this may have been the problem"
So, yesterday, on the 15th I had a bowl of cereal and some fruit before my run. I still only brought 2 Goo packs because that's all I had left. What a difference! It didn't hurt that it was also warmer - a beautiful day for running in fact - but eating beforehand made all the difference in the world! Not so say I wasn't wiped out after the 13 miles - I was - but I got through it pretty easily and felt fine afterwards. NOW I am totally psyched again. I am 100% confident that I can do this now. I am ready!
