The Funk

I know I'm not alone in going through periods in which you fall into some kind of funk - whether it be a minor illness or just fatigue from overtraining or not yet being recovered from previous workouts. I find myself currently slogging through a week like that. So far this week, I ran a decent 10-miler on Monday (after which I could tell I wasn't quite "right"), took Tuesday off due to feeling really drained, and ran an easy 4 miles today...still feeling weak and tired, with no pep in my legs. This could be a cold coming on, since I've been sneezing and sniffling a little.

I've got a 5-mile race this Saturday, and I'm pacing a friend for the last 21 miles of a 50-mile ultra on Sunday. I'll try to be disciplined enough to run relatively easy in the Saturday race (which I wish I hadn't signed up for, but what's done is done...and I'm not skipping it since it's paid for...so says my frugal wife...and you're correct, dear). I'll need to save strength for Sunday's long run. Even with a full tank of energy, this weekend would be a challenge. Since I'm feeling wiped out, I'm now mentally stressed out about it. Last week was big, for me. 52 miles, including my first 20-miler in a monsoon, a hard hilly 10-miler, and and yet another freezing rainy run on Friday...so it doesn't surprise me that I feel this way now. I guess my "point" to this rambling entry is that I don't really do well, mentally, with these periods of feeling wiped out, whether from a cold or otherwise - especially when training has been going so well. I know I need to listen to my body, back off a little and rest, and trust my fitness, knowing that I'll bounce back soon.

Sorry I don't have any cheese to offer you to go along with my whine.

Down Time

I slogged through a 60 minute spin on the trainer yesterday...and it WAS a grind. Felt light headed, weak and nauseous. I think my body is telling me to lighten up. It's hard to write this, but I want to be honest in this blog. It would be nice to "man-up" and keep pounding out the miles, but my body just seems to need more recovery at this point. I've been increasing both intensity and mileage lately, so I suppose it's no surprise that I'm feeling overtrained. When I start seeing signs of increased fitness, as I have the last couple of weeks, my determination doubles. Then, it becomes hard to hold back and train wisely, as I should. I am a bit smarter this time around, though (I hope). In the past, I'd blast right through any feelings of weakness or tiredness, until I'd overtrained so much that it took much longer to recover. If I need to do just 1 run and 1 ride a week for a couple of weeks to get back on track, so be it. I love to train, so that'll be tough to live with...but I need to focus on the big picture this time around.