Training for a 5K: Day 2

After I got home from my run on Sunday, the strangest thing happened. Once I was past the point of feeling like I just might keel over and die – I started to feel good. Not just good as in I was proud of myself for having accomplished something – good as in I miss this feeling and I want to keep going!

When Monday rolled around, I was seriously tempted to get back out there and run some more. I even had this insane idea to head on over to Stowe Archers and maybe try my hand at running some hills (Joe Rogan Experience – He says its an awesome workout). Once I got my head out of the clouds, I treated Monday as if it were any other day and didn’t push it.

When Tuesday rolled around, I knew things were going to be a bit hectic. After I got home from work, I was going to have a relatively small window before I needed to head over to the Stowe Archers 450 League Finals. This meant coming home, kissing my wife and kids, then changing and heading right back out the door again.

My plan was to run the same route I had a few days before. In my mind it was supposed to be a nice and easy pace – pushing a little bit farther before I stopped for the first time, My plan and what came to be were worlds apart…

Unlike Sunday where I had someone to help manage my pace, I was running by myself with music in my ears. I got caught up in the beat of the music and found myself running too fast. I corrected my pace but found that I was subconsciously correcting to the beat of the music.

Before I reached half the distance I had covered on Sunday, I was obliterated. My legs were on fire and my lungs burned as I heaved for air. I was determined to make it farther than I had one Sunday, so I slowed down, tried to catch my breath somewhat, and kept pushing. By the time I had to stop for a break, I had gone about twenty-five feet farther than I had just a few days before.

While this may have been a small victory – it was really the start of a lot of pain. I walked for a bit, then started jogging again. I probably made it about fifty-yards before I had to stop again. My calves burned and my lower back started to ache. I wound up doing far more walking than I wanted to but I eventually crossed the one-mile mark.

I thought that if I could just push through the pain a bit, my legs and back wound loosen up enough for me to keep moving. This was a mistake and if I would have had a cell phone on me, I probably would have called my wife and asked for a ride home. My legs and back were hurting so much that I struggled to walk at a normal pace.

The remaining three-quarters of a mile home was brutal. All I wanted to do was lay down on someones front yard until the pain passed. When I finally made it home, I collapsed onto the couch. The pain and cramping subsided after about fifteen minutes.

I suppose this is my body’s way of telling me I’m no longer a Young Buck. Rest, Recovery, and Stretching are things I’m going to have to start taking seriously.