I was done in today after running nearly 1.5 miles.
I wasn’t expecting this. But very suddenly, my legs told me they couldn’t support this run today and I should stop. I wasn’t in a mood to disagree with them. I stopped, then walked all the way back to the subway along 5th Ave.
I’m not exactly sure why I couldn’t go for 8+ miles today, which is what I set out to do. Here are a few theories:
– Running 20 miles in 2 days is too much for my legs right now. I did 14 miles Saturday and 6+ miles Sunday. I thought I’d be fine today. My lower legs weren’t. My lower right leg, medial side, hurt the most. I didn’t notice it when walking–only when doing my bouncing as I prep for my run. I tore off fine, but suddenly, near where I stopped, I could tell my legs weren’t liking this one bit. I feared I was approaching some kind of injury zone that if I didn’t pay attention to, I would definitely regret it.
– It was about 84 degrees and very bright. I didn’t make it around to the CNN Tower to see what the temperature was, but it was 81 degrees when I left and 85 when I got back, so I suspect somewhere around 84 degrees. It was only about 40% humidity so it didn’t feel excessive, but the sun was pretty powerful, so the heat was unrelenting when I wasn’t in the shade.
– My heart rate monitor diminishes my performance. I’m still tweaking the band that is supposed to go around my ribcage to get it to the most comfortable circumference. However, it still seems to restrict my breathing a bit. A bit here can mean a ton overall, so I’m wondering if its negative effects are felt more in hot situations. It didn’t feel too restrictive, but I’m unsure if it might have been hindering me.
– I worked out my legs too much at the gym yesterday, not giving them enough recovery time. I suppose that’s also a possibility. I just might not be in the shape needed to do as much as I did.
– I had a bag of microwave popcorn before bed. I wanted to experiment with the effect of salt on my body for runs. In particular, I wanted to see if I’d feel more hydrated. I’m unsure after this brief trial, though I wonder if its use influenced my inability to endure in today’s heat.
I did have ArginMax and quercetin today on an empty stomach–no PowerGel. I doubt the lack of food had an effect, but maybe that’s possible.
Whatever the case, my lower legs did not feel rested. I’m going to take the day off today and see if I can get in a late run tomorrow, since I think I’ll be available to. Stay tuned!
My fear is that I’m developing some kind of tibial stress fracture, though pain seems generally to be mirrored on both of my legs. I also want to get new running shoes since I think I’ve nearly maxed out the mileage on my Mizuno Wave Rider 13s, especially since they’ve started to break down a bit. I think I’m moving to some Wave Precision 10s I’ve had for some time but haven’t used yet.
Note: I’m titling my runs but the approximate temperature as a means for analyzing my pace. The only time I don’t plan on doing this is on race days, when I’ll name the runs after my races.