Flexibility

If I didn’t want this, it would be so (too) easy to take a LOT of days off.

My training week starts on Monday. I knew this week had:

3 days x 12 mile doubles
18 mile long run
5x1000m repeats
10 miles with 10x100m surges/gear change practice
1 rest day

You can see where this is going.

Monday was a double of 12 miles, so over my lunch hour I ran my first easy run. Craig led Mike and I through some muddy trails in the Carleton arb. Not going to lie, I don’t know if I’m a trail runner. Slipping through muddy trails and trying not to fall on the icy stretches aren’t exactly fun for me. I kept thinking: when will the footing be clear? I just want to *run*! Pretty sure trail runners are better at enjoying the moment, the terrain and element changes…

Am I right about that assumption?

Anyway, I had emailed Jerry earlier in the day about how to move the week around since we are supposed to have 25+ MPH winds (gusting to 40+) on Tuesday, which isn’t conducive to fast 1000s like was originally written for Tuesday. He suggested knocking out my 18 miler Tuesday instead. During the trail run I made plans to meet Craig over his lunch hour for a few of those miles and made a mental note to text Sedge to see if he was up for a couple others, etc. Company is nice for those long ones, especially since they seem REALLY long to me right now!

Jerry suggested the 100s on Thursday, 1000s on Sunday. I knew I was meeting a high school track/XC client on Sunday, so also made a mental note to see if he would be willing to do those 1000s with me.

Yay, planning!

…

Fast forward to the end of the work day Monday.

At 5:00 I called Nathan to ask him if he would like to do my second run with me. I hang up and notice I have a voicemail… from the Montessori school.

NOOO. That’s never a good thing.

Voicemail says: Greta had 3 loose diapers while at school so needs to go home & can’t come back until Wednesday.

Ug.

They’re trying to teach me flexibility in life… that’s a good thing, right?

I have reports and analysis due before a meeting Tuesday evening… and that 18 miler I was planning on getting done sometime during the day while both girls were at school.

So much for those plans! I don’t think I can push the stroller in winds like that for 18 miles. Plus, Greta does well in the stroller, but that is a LONG time to ride, even if I plan it around her nap time.

I just emailed Jerry to let him know that plans have changed and that the best workout to try to do with Greta tomorrow is probably the 100s – I could push the stroller to the track, let Greta out, and then push back.

As for work and the remaining double, I’ll work late tonight to get everything I need to get done at work finished – then likely hop on the treadmill to finish today’s workout. *Sigh*

Taking multiple days off would probably be a whole lot easier than all of this juggling, right? But I’ve been told that lots of rest days don’t exactly help make you a sub-3 hour marathoner ;).

On the plus side, I think it will be fun to run around a track with Greta tomorrow. Maybe we’ll even find a new playground to stop at!