Week 7 - Recap

I am just going to be honest.... this week of training was rough.  It put my mental and physical strength to the test.  The excessive heat and humidity was merciless. I carried water and ran on shaded paths, but in the end I was no match for the elements.  I walked more than I cared to, but the blow to my ego was better than suffering from heat exhaustion. 

Week 7:
Wednesday - 4 mile run
Friday - 7 mile pace run (and walking at Relay for Life)
Saturday - 14 mile long run
Sunday - cross-train ... riding my bike, reading, and relaxing at the pool!

All week I was dreading going on my long run.  The heat was fierce and I had never run farther than 13.1 miles.  The thought of running for nearly 2.5 hours in this weather was enough to make me want to sit my butt back down on the couch.  I expected the run to be difficult and my time a bit slower, but it turned out to be one of the worst runs I've ever had.  At mile five I got a stomach ache.  I blame this on the Gatorade I was drinking.  I had never drank Gatorade on a run before and it turns out my stomach does not agree with it.  I will be sure not to make that mistake again! I was able to keep running until mile nine, but then my stomach ache got too severe.  I stopped at my Grandma Steffes' house to refill my water bottles with water and rest a few minutes, but when I tried running again, I couldn't.  All I felt was the fluid in my stomach sloshing back and forth and it made me queasy.  I humbly walked the remaining miles of the run, pausing only once to vomit on the side of the road.  (If you happened to be driving past me on HWY 67 during that moment, I apologize for the ugliness.)  I must admit, I felt much better after puking - but when I looked at my GPS watch and realized I still had 2.5 miles to go, I got angry and did what I felt was the only thing I could do in that situation - I cried.  More than anything, I wanted to quit and hitchhike my way back to my parents' house... but I didn't.  Instead, I stubbornly marched on.  I finally made it back to my parents house 2 hours and 46 minutes after I left.

Praise the Lord that this week of training is over.  Only 11 more to go!