A Run From Hell

It's been a while. As I previously mentioned, I knew these last two weeks were going to be hectic and it was going to be tough for me to work out or run. I did get into the gym a couple of the days and had plenty of days where I was hitting 10K+ steps, but I haven't been running.

I realized on my flight back to NYC that there are only 17 weeks left until the Marathon, so I needed to officially start my training plan. I was getting back from a trip to Europe on a Monday and had some work events this week, so I decided to try to get in 3 runs this week, with the main priority being the long run - 6.2 miles.

On Thursday, I decided to get this run done. I knew I was going to want to embrace my first weekend in NY, so I thought I should at least get the distance run in. I went out at 4pm on Thursday feeling a little nervous but also knew I ran 5mi pretty easily a couple weeks ago so thought it'd be okay.

I have given myself credit before for being able to pace myself. This day was one of those days where I completely jinxed myself which caused this run to be quite literally miserable.

I started running prior to getting on the path I was going to run. My previous runs have been on a treadmill or in the suburbs where I think it's easier to control your pace without having to think about it. I think the high energy of NY and being surrounded by so many people just caused me to start off WAY too fast. I felt fantastic for the first 2 miles. However, I also felt like I was MOVING. So, when my watched buzzed at 2 miles, I decided to look at my pace and saw that I was running at a 9'04 pace. This is WAY TOO FAST for me. I can maybe end a run with a 9 min mile but even that is aggressive. It's more likely to be around 9'30. When I saw that pace, I knew I needed to slow down. I felt slightly cocky that I was running so fast for me and then realized this may not be good. Truly, half a mile later I felt like garbage. I messed up by not taking a water with me and my head started hurting. Then, I just really felt like I could not continue this run. I knew though if I didn't finish it, it would really hurt my confidence which would hurt my training.

I was trying to keep myself distracted with the views of the city and the people, but it wasn't really happening. I hit Chelsea Pier and turned around so that I could finish even closer to my house. For the next 3 miles, I was mentally and physically struggling. I was thinking about if my roommate could come pick me up or if I'd want to hop on the subway home. I was thinking I should start walking but then knew that just meant it would be longer until I got to my house. I don't even know how to explain it because it wasn't like anything physically hurt. I actually had my breath under control for the most of it and my legs felt fine. But I still did NOT feel good. Distance running is tough because you want to slow down but you also know that it means it'll take longer for it to be over. Honestly, I didn't even have the ability to choose to slow down because my body was just naturally doing so. By the time I ended, I looked like a sight. I immediately sat down (bad I know) and then found a bodega to buy a Gatorade. My face was bright red for the next 2 hours.

It was overall horrible. There were also a lot of moments where I felt like I was wearing those 3D glasses or glasses with a prescription too strong for me because the ground looked SO weird and made me feel like I was actually tripping. I kept forcing myself to try to look at the skyscrapers because it almost felt like vertigo, I don't even know how to explain it.

The craziest part is that my overall pace looks very solid. I ended with an overall pace of 10'02 which would make you think I am being dramatic. However, it's the splits that were insane. My Garmin and NRC measured different so it's hard to see exactly what my paces were but basically, I started running at an 8'30 - 9'00-minute pace and ended the last 3 miles at a 10'15 - 11'20ish pace. That is completely opposite of what you want to be doing. It was truly tragic, and I felt weak for the rest of the day. This run taught me that I'll need to pay more attention to my pace when running in NY because I guess I get carried away with the energy.

The good news is that I was mentally able to push through but that really was because of my ego. Luckily, I still get to say I completed my 10K run and am on track with my training plan despite missing a few weeks and runs.