Getting into the swing of things

I was thinking last week how odd it was that the switches would be flipped back on so quickly after a mere 1 mile run.  After Tuesday's quick run I was hungry, but not HUNGRY!!  On Wednesday there was a little more of a spring in my step, I didn't need/want as much coffee, and there was no craving for an afternoon sugary snack.  Then, come Wednesday night, the crash came and I was EXHAUSTED.  Completely and totally wiped out.  A very, very good, full body weariness decended over me and I completely shut off at a relatively early hour.
Thursday came bright and early and most of the spring was out of my step, the coffee craving had returned, but the afternoon sugar binge was still absent, but the old fuel lunch craving was back, rather than just food/filler lunch cravings.  It seemed like the engine had been stoked.  Right around 4:00pm the legs started twitching for a run.  Again, it seemed like the running switches had been flipped.

Then I got distracted by more important things and the twitchiness went away.  The drive home was hectic, dinner was a mess (I "had" to order pizza at 9:00pm, that I munched on for 4 days), and instead of being full-body-wiped-out, I was merely tired and wired.  What a crappy night.  Friday passed much the same way and I was just glad to slump into the couch when I got home to relax for a few minutes before the night life began.  We had a terrific night out with friends, but again, no running.  Had I gotten up in the morning I'd have been able to run, but the terrible Thursday precluded a Friday morning run.  These are the challenges that accompany having a real life and being a runner.  Of course, if I were a Runner (capital "R", big difference in my lexicon), the real life would accomodate itself to the running schedule and all things would be second to squeezing in a mile or twelve--but I'm not a Runner, nor do I aspire to be.  I am a runner by right of genetic and evolutionary history, and I am reclaiming that fact from the unnatural world that has been foisted on us.  But enough of the soap box talk...

Saturday morning started late after sleeping off the weight of the week.  A trip to the market, a rondezvous with friends, and a quick couple of chores later, the morning was complete and the running (which was never really committed to in the first place), was scuttled.  News, nap, and preparation for a deliciously natural and local dinner were made and we were on to Sunday.

Another late morning started with communing with my Lord in the garden and tending to chores around the homestead.  I might have been able to get a run in yesterday, but the flesh simply wasn't willing.  I'm not entirely sure the mind was particularly willing, either.  As amazing as it is that the running switches get flipped after a mere 1 mile primer run, it's equally amazing how quickly the switches get flipped back off.

Which brings us to Monday.  I pack the running bag in the morning with the specific intent of sneaking out of the office early to dash off to the park and get in the first significant run since February 28--the Cowtown Half Marathon.  It was an excruciating 3 miles (in 33:48), and I earned every agonizing minute of the run.  I had a bad breakfast followed by a TERRIBLE lunch and didn't hydrate nearly enough during the day.  

And just to put a cap on the run, because I was almost 4 minutes off the pace, I tacked on a pair of "penalty lap sprints" on the quarter mile loop.  These laps averaged 2:00 per lap, faster than any of the quarters I ran on the long run, and were a proper penance for my sloppy run.

Next scheduled run will be Wednesday morning.