Running on Empty

First, the good news. I ran 41 minutes without stopping this afternoon. As far as I can recall, I’ve never run that long before. Not even in high school when I was supposedly in the best shape of my life. I remember the 12-minute run in Joe Lovsin’s class being quite the challenge. Today is a victory.

On the downside I felt terrible during the run. Every step was agony. My legs felt heavy and tired; my right foot was hurting me; I was terribly thirsty. Many times I felt like walking but I soldiered on. For that I should be proud.

I suppose I felt so crappy because for a few reasons:

1) I spent six hours behind the wheel yesterday.

2) My diet since Friday as not been so great. It has involved a lot of coffee and a little bit of beer. Perhaps I am a bit dehydrated.

3) It was a warm sunny day. I tend to run much better during the evening.

4) I ran alone and I always feel better with other people. It’s as though we feed off each other’s energy.

My next run is slated for Thursday evening. I will likely run with at least one other person. Right now my foot is a little sore - I hope it feels better by Thursday. I certainly don’t feel like another agonizing 41 minutes. We’ll have to see what happens.