Week 9: Training for the 0 Mile 50K (PEAK WEEK)

Peak week is always tough no matter how you try to ease into it.  With the plan I am using, peak week includes 5 runs a week instead of 4, including a 5, 4, 21, and 3.  Of course mother nature blessed us with several days of cold, super windy and rainy days that totally blew my plan out of the water, plus my monthly friend decided it was time to also join the party.  I needed to run Tuesday through Thursday, cross train and then 21 and 3 on the weekend.  

Who wants to eat post scope?  This man, that is who!

Tuesday was not a good day for me and I was exhausted most of the day, thanks to a super early wake up time.  We had Tony's scope in Manhattan (25ish minutes away) and had to be there at 6:30 am.  Tony is perpetually late, so even though I was in the car and ready to go, he was still getting dressed, running around finding things, and not ready.  I needed to get him dropped off and checked in so I could drive back to Wamego to get Andrew dropped off at school and then drive like hell back to pick him up.  We really need family closer, but I digress.  Starting off late put everything else late and add some bumper to bumper non moving traffic thanks to the damn never ending road construction on Highway 24 created a fair amount of stress.  The good news was though the scope only found evidence of acid reflux and that is an easy fix.  The surgeon even thought that may have caused the nausea and the vomiting as well the day we went to the ER.  After all of that running around, trying to catch up on emails and calls I missed, blustery wet cold weather, and just a crappy afternoon at work, I was just not in the mood at all to run.  I chose a good meal, a beer, and bed.  Except I laid in bed wide awake not sleeping.  Sigh.

Please don't kill your brother

Wednesday dawned with very little sleep, but I was determined to get my run week started.  I couldn't run before work as I had my weekly business networking meeting.  I couldn't run after work as we had to head to Manhattan to get fitted for our Girls on the Run modeling gig.  That meant a lunch time run it was the only option.  It was still very cold and windy, but it at least had stopped raining.  I headed home to change and get ready to head out and got the dreaded call that my kiddo was in the office with a tummy ache. They wanted to monitor him for a bit as his anxiety has been high lately causing some stomach issues, so I changed into shorts and a tank to run on the mill so I would be closer to school if he needed me.  I lasted about 5 minutes on the mill and said screw it.  I constantly now feel like I am falling and I have NO clue why.  I couldn't do speedwork hanging onto the railings, so had to give up and change again and head out and pray they didn't call me to come pick Andrew up.  The wind was relentless (hello 40 mph gusts) but I am use to it since this is my 22nd year living on the prairie.    The dogs were being absolute aussholes, wanting to play and attack each other and continuedly stopping in front of me.  Stella at one point started limping on a front leg again, but she shortly stopped limping, so I think it was maybe just something she stepped on.  Way to continually give me a heart attack Stella ella.  

Thursday was still cold and blustery, but not rainy.  I just took Boom with the intention of doing speedwork except when I stepped on the gas to get going, nothing was there.  I decided one more day of easy running was okay and not doing speedwork wouldn't hurt.  Again, lack of sleep this entire week really kicked my ass and honestly I am not even stressed about anything right now.

I need to live life more like Buck!

Friday was a wash.  I was slammed all day at work, so I couldn't get away.  My tummy was super upset the entire day meaning when I wasn't at the computer working like a mad man, I was in the bathroom.  I was unable to eat much thanks to my stomach rolling and having therapy at 4:30 pm on the other side of  Manhattan.  I planned on running as soon as I got home from therapy, but therapy was super rough for me and I just needed to get some food in my tummy and get to bed.  I missed my 4 miler this week completely, but I will not fret. I am sure it will be fine.  Reliving some past trauma is proving to be very hard for me, but I have to do it to finally heal myself and change my present day behaviors.  I am committed to getting through this and to the other side a better person.

21 miles with Queen C and the doodle girls.  We were blessed with amazing weather, cold at the start with a gradual warm up, very little wind, and no humidity.  Can I please order up this weather for race day?  Fueling was good although ran out of tailwind and just had to make do on water from a spigot.  Saw an eagle, lots of hawks, and the cops.  We were doing some short loops out at the airport aka the tiny runway on our running route and the cops showed up.  There are cameras on several of the buildings, so not sure if they saw us and thought we were up to no good, but they should know us after 10 + years of running out there.  For many years that was the only porta potty on our route and then they got rid of it :(  I as well as several other runners would love to donate to have it back versus squatting in ditches.  

Sunday was rough, no lie.  I again got no sleep (why brain, why) and couldn't sleep in due to texts coming in on my phone and buzzing my watch waking me up.  I couldn't let another day go without a run, so I drug myself out of bed, drank my coffee, and headed out with miss stella ella.  I was sore, it was a slog, but I rewarded my effort with a dirty chai and a small piece of lemon bread at the Brew post run.  

There you have it, peak week.  Not the way I wanted it to go at all thanks to lack of sleep and typical Kanas spring weather, but it's all downhill from here till race day.  I am hoping a little less wind and rain for the next week however it's Kansas and it's spring, so I probably won't get my wish.  Have a great week y'all!