Little Miss Runner Pants

the answer was no... no... and nuh-uh.

i run. sometimes i go up hills. sometimes i go faster than normal. all of this is training for my legs... why would i need to do speed drills...hill repeats... or weight training?!

i mean... right?!

well. wrong.

he informed me (with pleasure. evil man.) that for me to get better... i.e. faster... i need to not only do one of the three mentioned... i need to do them all, in addition to upping my runs per week from three to four.

that way i get used to running on fatigued legs, and come marathon time and The Taper.. i'll nix the speed/hill/weight training, my legs will be uber-fresh, and i'll run like a kenyan!

sounds like a good, solid plan, right?! yeah well....thats what i thought too...

until.... today.

today, after my first very serious week of training, i found out exactly what he meant when he said "running on fatigued legs"

oh. my goodness.

today was to be...is a fantastic day. by 1:00 it was going to be in the mid-30's, so i skipped the group 7am run, (rented a movie last night with building guy... Broken Flowers...yeah not so much with the good movie factor) and slept. in.

it was glorious. 11:00ish-noon rolled around, i ate some lunch, got on my gear, and by 1:00 i was at the park, ready to run six miles.

six. at this point, six miles, reeeeally shouldnt be much of a hassle. i kinda like six. six is good. we're friends. occassionaly six and i go out for some drinks, flirt a little. we've got a great relationship, me and six.

well. we had a great relationship. apparently, things are a little rocky between us, and here's why...

i get to the park, and i'm ready to run. this particular park is just one big loop, along the side of the plaza in kansas city and is a pretty popular little trail for folks with their kids, dogs, running buddies, etc.

one big loop. roughly one mile long. 6 miles = 6 loops. easy enough right?!

so i take off. i'm in my cutest of cute running ensemblechs and i can tell, about mid-way thru loop #1... i'm wearing too many layers. but i'm bound and determined to run 2 loops before i stop for water, so, i just deal with it...

as i pass my car for loop #1 i look down and my watch says 9:18...

eeerrrrr?!?!!!!!? i....dont run that fast. ookay. so. thats weird. i mean, yeah, i feel energized, and its nice out.. there are some rolling hills and some flats, and i'm chugging at a nice pace... but... no way did i just run a 9ish minute mile. def'ly less than a mile loop. crap

so but i'm feeling good. la la la... running. up the few hills... slowing down a bit... down the few hills.. picking up speed. things are good. i get back to my car and.... 18:42

errr?! um. yeah okay no. this is def'ly not a mile long loop. dang-it. i shoulda brought my garmin... which would have been much easier if i even knew where my garmin IS. i have got to stop losing things....

so i walk to my car, take my GU, cuz i was feeling the need for a bump in energy, take a few swigs of water, shed my jacket, and i'm back on the trail.

half way thru loop 3, things start to get wobbly. i've told myself i have to do 2.5 loops (figuring the .5 will bump me up to the mileage i need, since quite obviously i dont run 9 minute miles) before stopping for water, but things are getting tough.

and this is when i realized... fatigued legs.

my breathing was good, i had energy, i was enjoying the run... but my legs.... just. so. tired.

after my 4.5th loop i went for another water break, and just wanted to curl up in my car and nap.

i've been tired before. i get tired running all the time... but normally, its an all over tired. my breathing is heavy, i feel like i can't lift my legs, my arms dont want to swing anymore... its like a full body thing.

THIS however...was not that. this was my legs turning into jello. i'd be running up a hill (and i use the term "running", here, very loosely) and i felt as though they had no oomph. no push. instead of not being able to lift my leg to take another step, i couldnt take the step.

i, quite literally, wanted to get on all fours and crawl up the hill.

somehow, which...i've no idea... but i actually finished my 6 loops. my 6.5+ loops. in about 1:06...which, all considering, isn't too bad.

but my legs were definitely done. DONE done. and i'm kinda wondering, how it is, exactly, that i'm going to run 10 miles next week.

because if six and i are already on the outs... i really dont see how i'm going to manage 10!!?!?!!!!?!