I woke up tired. I didn’t have great sleep the night before. But this was early Saturday, my typical sleep-in day where I ride the bike and maybe run after, but later in the day. No rush–no school or work. But an early baseball for Hudson dictated an early long run of 14 miles . But I couldn’t wake up. Even after breakfast and coffee. I was yawning, felt sluggish, and had NO desire to exercise at all.
But that’s what happens when you train for long races and put in a lot of hours on the bike, in the pool, or on the road. So I forced myself out the door. I knew things weren’t right when after 40 minutes my heart rate had failed to climb into zone 2. It should have been low zone 2 aerobic and I should have felt better than I did. So, I stopped for water, and assessed my situation. I know that failure of the HR to rise during a workout can mean serious fatigue, so I decided to do a 2 hour run, REAL easy. No intensity, no pressure, no requirements other than get it done.
I went to Hudson’s ball game at 10:30 and kept falling asleep in my chair! I was zonked. To be sure, I am in the hardest part of 70.3 training and should be tired, but this was a warning sign. I’m usually peppy after these runs. Or at least awake! I told Megan and we discussed my plans to ride the next day in the Cheaha Challenge. I had planned to ride 66 miles of the Century Ride and then maybe run a bit off the bike. But we decided that I would ride 47 miles, keep my HR in zone 1 or 2, and scrap the run entirely. I would also take Monday off as a rest day, with no exercise.
So, I did. I had a great ride with some great climbing (which did wonders for my confidence) and kept the ride very mellow. Today I am resting, and will get back at it tomorrow. Less than three weeks to go for the Gulf Coast triathlon and I need to be careful and smart with training. Taper will do me wonders, but I have to get there in good mental and physical condition.
This Running Life 