Running buddies and training… #rundisney

My runDisney training coincides with my marathon training and this weekend during my long run I came to appreciate my running buddies even more..

I used to love to run alone, headphones in, music blaring, pace all over the place…then I started running with a group. Slowly, I tucked the headphones into my pocket and began talking to the people running beside me. I was showing a more consistent pace and as I got faster (or slower, depending on the day) my group of running buddies would change a little. And that’s ok. We all have different paces, we drop back or speed up depending on conversation, mileage or just making sure someone is ok.

Sunday was my long run day, I rested (cross trained) Saturday because I had photo sessions. I felt good at 4:30am, running an easy 10:30 pace with some of my donut lovin’ friends! At 5am we met up with some sleepy heads (just kidding, that’s still early!) and begin on our next 5 mile tour of Lexington…

Around mile 5 I felt weird. By mile 6.5 my head really hurt and I decided to drop back to 11:00 pace – a speedy friend Jamie noticed this and dropped back with me. I said I might hit the ground… and then at a little over 8 miles I’m sitting at Starbucks feeling like I’m not going to make it, not another mile.

The others ran on as I promised I wouldn’t drive until I felt better.   I’ve never felt like this, so helpless during a run. I felt like I was going to hit the ground. I’ve been drinking water. Eating.  I’m not going to meet my goal today. It makes me sad as I sit here, tears rolling down my face. I feel like what if this is what the marathon feels like?  Do I want to do this? I have to do this. It’s not just the marathon it’s all the in between. All the miles. All the struggles. I’d rather have another blister than this weird feeling. It’s not exhaustion. I’m not tired.

Here’s what happened: on Saturday I was pushing a little girl on a swing for a photo, she laid her head back a little too soon and crashed smack into the left side of my face, since then my head has hurt a little. When I was running some of that pain came back and felt weird, I knew I wasn’t tired or sore because the rest of my body felt great.

The point is, listen to your body, run with a group, safety first. After all, I do plan to finish this thing, that being all of the training runs, eating all of the donuts and laughing with my friends on the streets in the wee hours of the morning.

I’m going to give myself a little bit of grace, I didn’t hit my 12 scheduled miles or my personal 13 miles. Instead I ran 8.16 hard miles, surrounded by great people who encouraged me and waited for me to complete what I could and I’m going to leave it at that.

Perhaps this will be the excuse that I will use to finally hire those painters…

My Running Buddies

#runlikeamother

Ashleigh