The Messy 3 M's

 

"Training to run a 100 miles is like training to get hit by a truck." Luis Escobar

I had this little feeling I messed up. Saturday night I handed Andy my training plan that I follow from Hal Koerner and asked him to give it a look. 

Andy begins counting the weeks backwards and I loosely follow as we came to the same conclusion, I MESSED UP! 

Saturday was supposed to be my 35 miler and Sunday was a 20 miler with me being off Monday. 

"If it's too good to be true it is probably TOO good to be true!" 

I had this feeling I had miscalculated my long run, now I was trying to math and design another plan. 

Triple PLAY!! SATURDAY

I would run more miles but over the course of 3 days EACH with a different design, I decided AFTER i realized I had undershot my long run Saturday. 

SATURDAY'S goal was already planned and achieved. 

• 20 miles with at least 50% in Zone 2,
• Maintain a pace between 9:45-10:00
• Run on Empty

This run I got up early and just started running, I found myself all the way in Fenton! I felt good physically, but I ran out of water. I ran without breakfast or eating. I do this to mimic running on low, I bring fuel if I get myself in a pinch, but I try to run depleted to teach myself to dig deeper mentally. 

Andy still had to RESCUE me! I ran out of water at 15 miles, and I was in full sun. Andy found me on Milford Road and brought me both water and pickles. I took the pickles because I was sweating so bad, they were delicious! 

I nailed this run! 

SUNDAY: MIDDAY Roasting

MY Plan: 

• 20 miles in full SUN
• Maintain a pace between 9:45-10:15
• Majority of run in ZONE 2

I started this run after church, it was already 84 degrees. I headed down N.Holly Rd in the blazing sun. My legs felt great, and I found myself having to add more walk breaks to keep my pace down. 

But mile 5, the sun was beating relentlessly. Andy had already warned me he would NOT be able to save me. I brought plenty of food, water and even a handheld with energy fuel. By mile 9, I was recalculating my life choices under an oak tree. 

I was sweating like a stuck pig, I had only peed once and it wasn't pretty. I knew I was getting dehydrated. 

My stomach was turning, and my heart had its own pulse. I decided to add extra walk breaks in there and slow my goal. 

By mile 15, I was almost out of water, my skin was on fire, my belly was nauseas, and I hated this thing called RUNNING. I hated the sun. I hated my choices, my goals, I couldn't even stand MYSELF!

"Just do it ugly" I told myself as my heart felt like it was going to explode as I was WALKING!  

"TIME ON FEET" and "GIVE YOURSELF GRACE" I was trying to come up with all the mantra and prayers to stay in the game. 

At mile 18, I was OUT of water and walking the backroads home when I saw that precious angel. She was watering her flowers when I asked if she would water ME! 

She was so sweet as she tilted the hose towards my bottle. It was like water from Iceland. 

I didn't make my pace goal and the honest truth is I had to stop a half a dozen times for a couple minutes at a time to cool down, settle down and relax. 

When I finished this run, it was 87 degrees. 

MONDAY: 3rd 20miler back-to-back-to-back

My Plan:

• hills repeats
• Don't PAUSE the watch
• Don't look at your pace, run by feel
• Keep heartrate mostly in ZONE 2 

Lacey called the night before and asked if I wanted company, I was so giddy for someone to be with me. She would join me the last 5 miles home. 

I started before 7, and I could already feel it steamy out. My shoulders got burnt on Saturday and they were stinging the first couple miles. 

I headed to a local subdivision that has "HILLS" in its name. I would do 10 miles of hills out there practicing not only the inclines but also the declines. Kettle Moraine has 8,800 feet of elevation and I have heard the downhills are a killer. 

I found a picnic table at the top of the hill and took off my hydration vest making a little station there. I felt SOO free and weightless without my vest. 

Each of my runs I gave myself more grace knowing it was accumulative. At mile 14, I was heading out to meet Lacey when I felt both the heat and the fatigue. 

By the time, I reached Lacey I was adding more walk breaks in gutting it out. 

I knew that even though I had MESSED up my long run, the last 3 runs were good training. 

RUNDOWN:

MESSED UP: A MESS UP: MESSY

I knew that I could recover from my mess up, I just knew it was going to be painful. 

"SUFFERING is EXCELLENCE" I told my friend NOBLE when he saw me running in the blazing sun Sunday. Preparing to suffer is what I am ultimately doing for my 100 miler in June. 

Yes, I am scared. 100 miles is a LONG way, with opportunities everywhere for failure. 

Each of these 3 training runs all had a PURPOSE to help me be more successful in 3 weeks. 

1. Heat training
2. Time on feet without recovery
3. Hill training
4. Solo running...you better be able to run with only your voice
5.  Running sick
6. Running fatigued
7. Monitoring heart rate
8. Running disciplined
9. Running discouraged and NOT giving up

YES, I MESSED UP, but I flipped the script and turned it into a challenge. We all mess up, most of the time we let it own us. But when we change the direction of our thinking there are usually many options. 

IT was NOT A MESS UP, and NEITHER am I. Initially I was mad at myself for such an airhead move. 

I have literally been called someone's mistake; those words stung.  Mistakes happen, but we ARE not one. 

SOMETIMES recovery is MESSY. But the victory lies in overcoming the MESSY. 

My finishing line is NOT a guarantee, I have to EARN it, and overcoming my MESS UP'S, the Messes and the Messy only brings me that much closer to succeeding!

May 13-19  Distance: 84.4 miles

Monthly miles: 243

Yearly Miles: 1,220

"With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

In Peace, Not Pieces, 

Anita