Not All Workouts Are Great Workouts

I have to admit, my training has pretty much gone off without a hitch.  I'm nailed, like, 99% of my workouts.  I have rested, recovered, nutritioned (it's a word), and caught every stinking cold my son has had (although I've gotten better quickly and missed very few workouts). 

Seriously kid.  Can you stay healthy for one week?  You don't go to daycare.  What the heck?

Anyway, yesterday was my final longish run.  I ran just shy of 15 miles and to be honest, it kind of sucked.  It sucked right from the start.  I'm fighting another tiny cold and Aunt Flo paid her monthly visit too.  Then, I was not even a mile from home and it started raining and pretty much kept raining the rest of the run. 

I warmed up for about a half hour and then the middle hour had some intervals that were to be done at marathon pace and then faster.  And, those intervals went pretty well.  I hit all of them, although maybe a little slower than last week.  Then things just fell apart.  After the last one, I took a bathroom stop at the library.  When I came out it was pouring.  I was in the last 30 minutes of the run and heading home.  My legs had other plans, though.  Everything stopped working.  My calves felt like rocks, my hamstring said "are you stupid", my hip didn't want to go, and overall I wish I had just stayed at the library and called the husband to come get me. 

I finished the run and felt terrible.  My husband massaged my legs, I put them up against the wall, I rolled them on the foam roller, and then had a terrible time sleeping I was in so much pain.  It was like I had run a whole marathon in racing flats (which I will; I just shouldn't feel that awful after a training run). 

My friend D (gah, I can't find her blog!!!) mentioned recently she wished more people wrote about their bad workouts instead of being all rainbows and sunshine.  Well here it is, folks.  I had a bad run less than two weeks out from my marathon.  And that's okay.  I think you should have bad runs.  You need it to learn what not to do and what works for you.  What did I learn today?  I learned I hate running in the rain.  Looking at the forecast for next week I had better learn to like it quickly.  I learned that I always feel fat and slow when I first start my period.  Thank goodness I'll be missing that for my race.  I learned and should have learned this lesson long ago that I should not work out when I'm sick.  And most importantly, I learned to live for another run.  There is a better one around the corner.  Don't sweat just one bad run.