This Is, After All, A Running Blog

So, let's talk about running, shall we?

My long run on Saturday ROCKED! I was a little afraid of 10 miles, since I had been feeling overtrained, but a week off of boot camp and cross training definitely helped me. I even did one of my favorite courses, but I had no idea how crowded it would be! I started out at 1st Place Sports, ran down along San Jose, to Beauclerc - I had forgotten how long it was from there to Forest Circle! But at least I saw a water fountain along the way that someone had put in their front yard. Nice! But at that point, the CamelBak was still full. I had an Espresso Love Gu (too runny) on the way, so I was electro-lit up and feeling pretty good - just wondering when the heck I would get to Forest Circle! When I got there, I did the 1-mile loop (total real estate run) and ran into the local FBI (First Babe In, for every single local race) out doing laps. I did a slingshot out of the loop, then down Scott Mill following the Jax Bank Marathon course. Down quiet Scott Mill Lane, looped around Plummers Cove, and when I got back onto Scott Mill, it all of the sudden got incredibly crowded! There were a hundred or so cyclists riding by for the MS 150 Summer Saturday Training Series. After seeing lots of Florida Gator cycling jerseys, I found a bright spot - a guy in full-on Auburn Flyers gear! Well after a break in the bikes, there came a few runners with the local Team in Training - I had no idea this route was so popular! I did another lap around Forest Circle, and that's where the "lead legs" started to hit - I had reached my lactate threshold and started pushing it. After munching a few cola Clif Shot Blocks (not too bad), I realized I just had to keep on keepin' on. Down Beauclerc, back to the aforementioned water fountain - I needed to wet down my Chilly Pad to keep cool (it was about 830ish by now), and it was an easy shot back to 1st Place. Stretched, went on home, and went about my Saturday.

All in all, I was incredibly pleased, and not nearly as stressed about being tired and sore - comes with the territory. Pain is temporary, pride is forever, and that marathon finish line is definitely attainable.

Overtrained?

I can tell a major difference between the way I ran last year and the way I am running this year at the same mileage marks - and it really isn't a good difference. My long runs are feeling okay, instead of great, and my short runs are feeling long. Also? I am constantly feeling like I am dragging, and between Friday night and Monday morning, I sleep about 30 hours. That's all I do all weekend. I come home from my long run, nap all day, piddle around the house, eat, and go to bed. Get up Sunday, work out, nap, church, eat, piddle, sleep. This can't be that good for me.

So I started examining the reasons behind why I am so tired and my runs are dragging. The difference between this year and last year is that now, I am actually cross-training. I do boot camp twice a week, yoga once, and I try to swim and bike at least once each per week - on top of two training runs and a long run. Boot camp lasts only one more week, fortunately, but at the same time, I almost feel like if I am not working out so much then I am not going to burn as many calories and get to eat what I want, and I'm not going to improve my cardiovascular endurance and my muscular endurance. Am I give out because I'm not in good enough shape, or am I give out because I'm trying too hard to get into good shape?

Then there is also this interesting "exercise-induced inertia" - if I keep moving working out, I'll keep moving in other areas. For example, last Saturday night, I could not sit still. If I sit on the couch, I'll fall asleep. I had to get up every five minutes to clean something. The upside is my house is spotless, but the downside is here I am scrubbing the cooktop at 11 pm when I should probably give it up and get in bed.

Somehow I need to find a balance. I'm hoping that boot camp ending will help a little, but I need to get it into my head that I am a runner, and I run. I can do a little bit of other things to cross-train, but not to the point of derailing my running. I know in the back of my mind there's a triathlon spirit, pushing me through breathless swims and grueling bike workouts so that when my triathlon comes - and I hope it will - I'll be ready. But right now isn't the time to stress the biking and swimming, because it's not important to my running, which is the main focus here. It's 144 days until the Vegas Marathon, and if I'm tired at 8 miles, then I'm going to fall over before I see the finish line. We can't have that.

So how much is too much and how much is not enough? Where do I draw the line between cross-training and overtraining?