Of Mice and Marathons

sorry. i know the feeling. i have a few entries last summer where all i wrote was "oof" because there was nothing else to say -- it really was just about keeping my legs moving and nothing else mattered. for me, it was mostly stress-related, but probably also a bit of mental fatigue and burnout.

i don't know how stressful your life is at the moment, but in my experience, running can take a pretty hard hit when there is significant stress around. it's nearly impossible to fight off, even if you tell yourself you are fine and you aren't feeling outright FRAZZED -- it still affects you. or maybe it has just been really hot lately and you are starting to feel the effects of training hard for many months...

whatever the case, you are smart to back off. feeling "very, very off" means something, and it's not usually productive to try and fight that feeling. hopefully stepping off the gas for a bit will help you reset and get back to feeling good again.

Thanks, Allie. My training seems pretty typical for what I usually do. A little harder on the track, but I've slowed my easy pace by roughly 30 seconds to a minute. I am pretty sure it is stress related. I usually carry a bit but this is probably the most stress I've had in my life (even though it doesn't always feel present).

I'm taking at least two days off to rest, hydrate, and reevaluate.

Fluids is a good idea for sure. I feel the worst when I'm dehydrated.

A few days off won't kill ya or your training. Hopefully you'll feel better next week.

Thanks, Riley. I am really good about drinking lots of water and not drinking much else (a little coffee, some wine or beer). My parents were here early in the week and they are big soda drinkers, so I ended up drinking a bunch of that. I doubt it is the problem, but it's definitely not my usual nutrition. It's very refreshing after a long, hot and humid workout though.