I didn’t want this day to be another treadmill day, so I went home and waited until close to sunset before I ran.  But, today I was not looking forward to running. I was to run Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I wasn’t on my schedule this week, and I wasn’t eating right, either.  I went home after work today, ate 4 small burritos and a bag of Potato Skin chips, and was mentally talking myself out of running.  But I knew that I couldn’t live with missing a day of training because I “didn’t feel like it” or because “I ate bad food”.  So with a belly fully of crappy munchies , I faced the heat and ran around Fenton Park twice for my 3 miles.  It was 94 degrees and hella hot, and surpringly, I ran very well!  I felt in shape and I ran it non-stop. There was a lot of activity in the park (ball games, walkers, runners, bikers), which makes it more interesting.

Conditions: 94 degrees and humid.
Results: today: 3 miles; total: 24 miles; time: 30:16; pace: 10:05
Thoughts: Life is a constant battle.  The temptation to not do the right things is ALWAYS there.  It’s something I have to overcome and be strong about my goals.
What I’ll remember the most: The great non-stop run, despite the burrito belly!

Today was extremely difficult. I ran during the hottest part of the day again, and this time, because of a distraction, I forgot to eat my protein cookie first. I got half way through the run and I was feeling a bit better about finishing. By the time I was 2/3rds done, it seemed impossible.

My head was beginning to hurt, my heart was pounding and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I felt the sun burning my skin and I couldn’t block out the pain. I was out of energy and still had at least a half mile to go. I start doing a more frequent combination of walking and running until finally I gave up. I walked back home with my head down.

It’s a lesson I’ve already learned. I went running weeks ago without eating enough and had the same thing happened. Today, I felt ready to go. I ate a snack at work, but it wasn’t enough. When I got back home, my face was completely red and sunburned. I was so disappointed. But I’ve got to look on the bright side. I didn’t injure myself, and it’s just a reminder about how important it is to prepare for a run.