Sunday, June 13, 2010

Another week of setbacks

As I sit here watching the rain fall outside I try to keep the negative comments surface in my mind. It has been more than a week since my legs have felt the freedom of a run. And the worst part is I am, for the most part, just happy to be lazy for once on a weekend. That's not to say I have been laying on the couch eating bon-bons for the past week. I have been BUSY!

It started with monday working late and skipping my run to get some rest for a 4 am wake up call. Opening day of the Lilly Warehouse Sale. Holy C-R-A-Z-Y. Because my job is all about fit, my team always get assigned to work the dressing room. Yes dressing room singular, one giant section of the floor separated with black curtains in which we must squeeze as many female bodies as humanly possible with out violating safety codes. For anyone who has ever attended the sale you probably do not realize how much work it is just to keep the dressing room free from chaos, never-mind the hard work by the rest of the staff. I literally did not stand still for five seconds between 5:30 and 12:30. As I sat down to eat lunch my feet felt like I had just finished a long run, thank goodness I wore sneakers. After my shift it was time to head back to the office to do my real work. By 5 pm I was equal parts exhausted and hungry. There would be no running tonight.

And there would be no running any other day last week, I felt like the energy had been drained from my soul. There were two more shifts of the sale to be worked (although thankfully Friday was cancelled and I was able to spend some quality time with Boyfriend.) Part of the time I would feel bad for slacking on my training, I mean I had a race coming up in two weeks how was I going to be ready? But the rest of me just wanted to sleep. Forever. I was burnt out and it wasn't even from running.

Saturday I skipping my 14 mile training run with Team Challenge to get ready for a baby shower of a close girlfriend of mine. Once again I was not going to let running be the excuse that kept me out of my friends lives. It's bad enough that I don't do anything social on weekdays in order to fit in my weekly milage, but this shower was a once in a lifetime thing. It would never happen again. There will always be more races. If it wasn't so hot out that afternoon I would have thought about trying to get some miles in then, but it was miserable. Plans to make tacos and margaritas trumped running and feeling like I had a life again was starting to feel pretty good. Granted I was starting to feel kind of soft around the middle (side effect of taking a week or more off) but I was having fun, enjoying food, and friends.

Today, if you live in the greater Philadelphia area and have stepped outside you know how miserably hot and humid it is. Now add to that the fact that I do not have air conditioning. Sounds like the prefect weather to go out and take a jog in right? WRONG. Horrible terrible no good weather. Plan B? Wait until it gets later and night, the sun goes away and then try for at least a few miles. Oh except that it's supposed to thunder until about oh, about midnight. Perfect. In case you don't get it that pretty much means I am stuck inside not running.

The good news is that tomorrow when I go out to run six miles my body should feel pretty good. Hopefully my days of running around at the sale have kept me in good shape. If nothing else the half marathon coming up in two weeks may just have to be for fun and the experience. I can tell right now that this summer is going to be tough, as summers usually are. During the time when all I want to be doing is sitting lazily on the beach, or by the pool, eating bad for you things like ice cream and burgers, I have to remember that I need to fit in long runs and drink lots of water.

Just have to remind myself that tomorrow is a new day, a new week, and with the right attitude anything is possible. I have slept A LOT this weekend and should be nice and rested. I am strong, and awesome and this race can be anything I want it to be.

xx Sara

4 comments:

Her Preppiness said...

It was very hot and humid in Philly today!! As far as the sale is concerned I think that working the dressing room is hard.

Denise said...

we missed you on saturday!!

and yea, this humidity is killer. being out there for 3+ hours each day is killing my poor skin. i'm chafed head to toe.

Rachel said...

i love how you say "this race can be anything i want it to be". so true! sometimes life just happens and you have to roll with it. and sometimes these breaks can be just what you needed!

Beth Dunn said...

Set backs! Ugh
xoxo
SC