Weak Sauce

As previously posted - I ran the Wasatch Back Relay last weekend. So, I've been taking a little "break" from running. Ya know - just for a couple of days. I feel I'm owed it. I played volleyball for a good solid 3 hours on Tuesday night - and felt that was decent enough exercise for the day.

Well yesterday - it being a Wednesday - I thought it was time to get running again. I just enjoy it. I really do. It was blisteringly hot - so I waited until about 7:30 to start out my 5 mile loop. Also in my pride I thought, "I've run in MUCH hotter than this - in fact, I ran in blistering heat just last weekend - TWICE!" So I grabbed the Ipod - changed into some running attire and was off. About a mile into it I wanted to die. Really! I had all sorts of cramps rolling around my insides and my lungs felt like they were working double time - and I was running DOWN HILL! I was disgusted with myself. So disgusted in fact I ran faster. Well - about 3 miles into my run I had to (I can't believe I had to) stop. STOP! And WALK! The shame! I was kicking myself the whole time I walked (and heaved and puffed).

Granted it was hot (but I'd run in hotter). Granted my asthma decided that yesterday was the day to really act up (but it had acted up before). Granted I had just consumed a large Orange Julius brimming with refined sugar (but I'd consumed sugary substances before running before). Granted I was a little stiff and sore FROM the 3 hours of good volleyball I'd played the night before. Granted I've been working the 6am-3pm shift all week and not getting much sleep (I've been stressed - and when I'm stressed the insomnia peaks...and peaks GOOD!) And lastly, granted I had just gone to the eye doctor and my eyes were dilated to the size of saucers and extremely sensitive to the light THUS I had to wear sunglasses (I've never worn sunglasses before...ah ha! That must've been it!). Even so. Even taking all these things into account - I felt like weak sauce having to walk not once, not twice, but FOUR TIMES during my usually "run the whole way" 5 mile loop. I didn't even ATTEMPT the death hill at the end - but casually walked up it - listening to some soothing MoTab. Sigh. And if that weren't enough - when I got home I felt like my body had been hit by a truck. I was so sore and stiff and achy. What the? How is it possible I had just run 3 legs, some in grueling heat, one at 2:00am, with no sleep and Luna Bars for energy just fine and couldn't do a mid-afternoon familiar 5-mile loop?

Sigh. WEAK SAUCE. That's all there was too it. Today though - today it will be different. I'm going to go again (minus eye dilation and sugary insides) and see if I can hack it. Of COURSE I can hack it! I've hacked it countless times before. Perhaps it was meant as a humbling experience. Curse those humbling experiences. Curse them.