Marathon Monday: A miss

I am training for the Columbus Marathon and following a schedule based on the "Train Like A Mother" finish it plan. These posts document my training.

The week, in running:
Monday: 4 miles, easy (+stroller)
Wednesday: 4.43 miles, strides (+stroller)
Friday: 8 miles, w/mid-4 at RP (+stroller for 6)
Sunday: 19 miles, long run (+stroller for 6.75 - a PDR with the BOB!)

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I'm sure you didn't notice - most people wouldn't - but there's a workout missing in that tally. A big workout. A quality workout. 

I had a 6-mile hill workout on tap last week. My original plan was to tackle it Wednesday as part of my effort to not push quality workouts to the end of the week but my stomach got the best of me. I had to divert the route to hit the park bathrooms and by that point, I'd missed the hills and decided to do my strides workout. No big deal, I thought. I could do hills on Thursday. Thursday came and Miles slept, in and the opportunity to run slipped by. I was determined, though, and planned to hit the treadmill after Miles went down for the night.

At 7:30, the house was quiet and I gently stepped down the basement stairs. The familiar boop-boop sounded as I turned on the treadmill, and I draped a towel over the rails for the sweatfest that was to come.  The start was gentle, just a 3.0 walk for a minute. I brought the speed up a bit, to 5.0, and began to run. 

Fifteen seconds later, I stopped. 

I composed myself, took a deep breath and began again.

Fifteen seconds later, I hit the red button again.

Things were just not right. While I had mentally talked myself out of this workout a million times that evening, I was committed when I got on that treadmill. Yet, as I tried to follow through, it seemed my body was failing me. My left shoulder was unbelievably tight and it pained me as I swung my arm. My mid-section, specifically my upper core, was tense and locked. With each step I took, I was overcome with discomfort. It wasn't like a stitch or cramping -- it was as if my muscles were seizing.

I tried once more but the pain seemed to grow with each step. After 2 minutes total on the treadmill, I stepped off. I grabbed a sweater from my winter clothes bin, thew it on over my sports bra and headed upstairs defeated. For the first time this cycle, and quite possibly ever, I was not going to complete a training run. I've cut runs short or changed efforts but I can't remember missing a run and definitely not for those reasons. With 8 miles on Friday and BODYPUMP Saturday, there would be no way to make it up.

I fretted about the missed run during a peak training week for about an hour when I had to remind myself that a) it was just one workout; and b)of the importance of listening to your body. It's one thing to run through soreness and another thing to run through pain. My problems more than likely stemmed from a serious rehearsal session of BODYPUMP and not injury but it was obvious that my body was crying out - quite literally - for rest. So I sat on the couch and read "The Messenger" as I ate a mango fruit bar.

My hill run ... well, it will get in this week. Or it won't. I'll let my body (and my sore crotch biscuits) decide.