Today’s morning 10k was frustrating, painful and challenging. I can’t remember the last time I had to resort to walking because of a stitch within the first 5km.
We started out with an easy jog. Before breakfast, before any water, before any sense. The sun shining, the markets in full swing, surf crashing against the shore and people training on the beach in the park. A typical Sunday morning at Broadbeach.
At the halfway point I felt like my lungs were going to collapse. My legs felt heavy and I was dragging them. Each step was harder than the previous one. I couldn’t remember the last time a run had made me feel so nasty.
Run, walk, run, walk. That’s how the other half of the run went. I felt hopeless, tired, and lacking in any energy. I pushed on.
So what went wrong?
Yesterday’s nutrition probably. For some reason my food and water intake goes out of whack at the weekends. Monday to Friday I have the office routine of breakfast at 6am, snack at 10am, lunch at 1:30pm, maybe another snack around 4pm and then dinner at 7pm. Throughout the day I ensure I get through at least a 1.5l bottle of water, two cups of coffee and sometimes a cup of tea. Come Saturday, I’m sometimes lucky to have two meals and end up drinking maybe a glass of water.
My body was fighting back this morning. It doesn’t want to be disrespected on any day of the week. I can’t expect to function at 100% if I don’t get enough nutrients and hydration every day. Sure there is the theory of treating your body like a temple during the week and a playground at weekends but even that has limits especially when I want to run for a long time to come.
Now it’s evening time. My head is throbbing. I’ve been topping up on water. I made sure to have vegetables and lean protein throughout the day. It’s to relax, have a cup of tea, watch a movie, maybe indulge in some chocolate, and go to bed early to start the new week on the right foot.
How does your nutrition impact your run? Do you ever run hungry?
