Slightly negative

I want to write this down before I forget. I could have a post going "oh gorgeous morning, gorgeous run" - but that wouldnt be true. It would also be disrespectful to my training, and moreover, to myself. In the mundane routine of the everyday, we sort of lose touch with ourselves. I have been very distracted since my 16 miler on Monday. The focus has been missing. I choose to sacrifice a few hours of sleep, just so I can have those couple of hours to myself, because it is very important for me to know the answers to my questions. I rely on the darkness of the night to provide some comfort, and some solace. This city is just too noisy at all the other hours of the day.

I have had an exceptionally frustrating morning. After a very very restful sleep last night, I woke up and just.did.not.feel.it. There was a mental and physical barrier that I was not able to cross - very disappointing. It is not the miles, it is so much more than that. I need to remember that it is not my responsibility to keep everybody else happy.

6.4 blech miles this am.

Talent vs. Hard work.

One of my favorite people is a man who is a sub-2:40 marathoner. Needless to say, he is the best runner I know. He is also one of the laziest runners I know - he peaks at 40 miles a week and rarely runs more than 10 miles for his long run. Needless to say, again, I am jealous of him. I posses absolutely zero natural athletic ability. He, on the other hand, is immensely talented, and because it comes so easy to him, he doesnt actually enjoy running all that much. Ugh!!!

Its always nice to run with someone like him, something I do very very rarely (although I do admit, I would like to do so more often). His ability intimidates me - as simple as that. I dont want to let him down, or slow him down or look like a clumsy klutz infront of him. I started my day relatively late today, which meant I ran at a more 'normal' hour this morning. It also meant that he was wanting to catch up, and what better way to do than with a morning run ? (his words not mine). Running with him this morning gave me a sleepless night last night. Because an 'easy run' for him is like 'all-out' pace for me! If there is one area where I *sort of* feel *sort of* confident is the fact that I have much better endurance than him. Mmm hmm - whatever!

Long story short, I had a great run this morning. Its always nice to have company once in awhile. He said to me "in another life, I wish I ran as gracefully as you do". Oh my goodness!! That made my day! What also made my day is that I didnt make a complete ass of myself - for once!
With running, as with life, I am like a dog with a bone - I dont give up - and since I lack any sort of natural talent for most things - I have learnt to work hard, I am not afraid of challenges and I think, I hope, this is what builds character.

8 miles 55 minutes - so challenging to keep up pace!! I stopped talking for atleast 10 mins because I was concentrating so hard. It aint easy to shut me up!
36 laps in the pool.

"Hard work beats talent when talent isnt working hard"

Another day, another mile.

After the whirlwind of last year, I am so much at peace this year. I finally feel like this is how I was intended to be.

I have had it in my head for a while now to swim a few miles. I am a very average swimmer -in another life, I was a swimmer and not a runner. Since there is NO way I would ever swim before a run, I went out for a very easy 12 before heading for the water. I would love to swim in the ocean one of these days - now *that* would be something.

12 easy this morning - very hot and still....so whats new!?
62 laps in 37 minutes. 2 miles in warm water. Not bad at all!

The only thing that annoys about swimming is that it takes me ages to get my hair untangled - which means I have to stand infront of the mirror combing for what feels like an hour. I would rather eat!

A Shoe experiment

So I wear a size 9 running shoe. I also previously mentioned that I have 5 shoes under rotation currently. I needed something to bribe me out the door this morning - actually, more like last night since I left for a run around 2:06 am :-)).

Anyway, I rotate between a stability shoe and a cushioning shoe. One is bright orange (dont ask, they were out of stock) and one is bright blue. As you can see, I am not very fussy about my colors. Both my feet are also a different size - my right foot is a whole size bigger than my left foot. So I did something that made perfect sense - I wore the bright orange on my left foot and the blue on my right. This is something that I have been toying for a long time.

So, the results you ask? Well, 11 miles were run at 1:30 minutes. I felt strong, no blisters and I was in a very good mood - and it got me out the door. What more can I ask for?

Mileage for the next few days might be a bit less - I have decided to donate blood for the second time in as many months - one of the reasons for this is that given the heavy racing schedule May onwards - I will not able to as often as I would like. Plus, I have made sure to take electrolytes after every single run in the past week - its the reason why my weight has been stable despite the heat.

That is all folks. Have a good morning!

Thank you!

Mornings like this, one feels glad to be alive. I was completely aware of the surroundings - I waved hi to everyone I came across and even smiled at every motorist. Theres just something about days like this, especially a Monday, where one can find solace within and raise ones spirit. From the moment the shoes were laced up, I knew my legs were going to cooperate with me. I ran one of my most memorable runs - one where everything just fit into its place.

16.25 easy miles in 2:08 minutes. I didnt feel a thing - I dont know where the time went.

Wherever you are, I hope you find a little sunshine in your spirit somewhere. God bless!

Ran out of steam this morning. So hungry!! I could've eaten my own pancreas if I had a proper sauce to go with it.

300/600 sprints these feels really strong at the moment!

6.5 miles 45 minutes - this is when I got ferociously hungry

20 lap swim in very warm water - its gotten very hot and sticky here lately

That is all - I am all talked out!

P.S I should mention - the week ends at 107 miles. I think I have averaged 90-110 miles a week all this year so far. This is very consistent. I have always followed hard weeks with cutback weeks - but have not done it this year. I might follow up the next few weeks with easier mileage. I'm not quite sure I want to - since the runs are very strong at the moment. However, there is a very fine line between burnout and hitting targets. We will see. Running close to 400-500 miles a month means I have 5 pair of shoes that I keep under rotation. I need someone to sponsor me - its getting expensive!