It's time to 'fess up

I've got to keep it real with everyone.  That's just who I am and sometimes it's a bummer.

I didn't post my run on Facebook on Saturday. I didn't even mention it.

I was scheduled for a 7 mile run this Saturday.  Last Saturday I had a great 8 mile run and was able to run it at a 9:45/mile pace. Next week we go back up to 9 miles.

Well, a couple things didn't go right this week and I had a horrible run.  Our runs have been starting at 6AM to avoid the heat of the day.  It takes me about 15 minutes to get to the run site.

What went wrong:

• I set my alarm for 5:40PM instead of AM. (Dang it!)
• I do not naturally get up before 6AM so I am pretty reliant on my alarm.
• I awoke at 5:55AM and needed to be there at 6.
• I did not eat or drink before I left to meet up with the team.
• I was hungry when I went to bed the night before.
• I got new shoes.
• I usually rest on Fridays, but I ran in order to break in my new shoes a little before Saturday.

So, ugh.  I ran for about 4 miles and was ready to stop.  I pushed through another mile and started to feel strange.  I was feeling light headed and when I started to see spots I decided I'd better walk it.  It was very humbling.  I am competitive but had already decided not to run with my usual partners. So, to still not be able to make it even at the slightly slower pace was so discouraging.  It worked out fine really, I was able to start to run again after just a little bit and probably ran a little over 7 miles in the end.

I'm trying to remember that some weeks are just hard.  I know the contributing factors and the better I take care of myself with good nutrition, sleep and hydration, the easier it is.