Having a bad day...

I haven't weighed myself, but by looking in the mirror and by touch, I don't think I gained any weight over the holidays. Which is strange because all I've been doing is eating and drinking.

I was looking forward to my long run today. I've had a couple days off to rest and I was getting a little antsy. I wanted to see how my rested legs would perform doing a 2 hour 35 minute run. Early into the run my muscles were a little stiff, especially one of my hamstrings. I knew if I kept running it should loosen up and it did. Within the first mile my Garmin heart rate monitor started acting up again and the heart rate readings were all over the map. Ugh... For the last few weeks it's been doing the same thing on every run. Today I finally decided that I'm taking it back and getting my money back. It is a real piece of Sh*t. This is my second one. The first one had the same problem.

Exactly 47 minutes into the run I start to go down an 11 % graded hill. About 10 meters into it my thighs started to seize up. I didn't get it, on a downhill my legs were starting to get into a world of hurt. I got to the bottom and stopped because of the pain. I couldn't believe it. I eat hills for lunch. I figured I'd walk a bit and see if that would help get them flushed and back to normal. I then started running again and they got worse.

I had a decision to make. Do I keep trying to run and do further damage, which will take days to repair, or do I call Alice to pick me up. I did the responsible thing and called Alice. Then I started walking back home. Even walking hurt. I stopped and tried to stretch and it helped a little. My legs felt exactly like when I finish a marathon. If I was in an Ironman I most definitely would have had to walk or crawl to the finish.

I couldn't believe the pain and wondered "why did this happen?". The only thing that came to mind was dehydration. Too much beer, not enough water. Even yesterday I only had one glass of water and a soft drink at the movie theatre. In total, I've probably only had three glasses of water in three days.The more I thought about it I realized that dehydration would also make me feel and look like I hadn't gained any weight.

I'm glad it happened so early into the run. It ruled out a fitness problem. And it wasn't a lack of rest problem. I'm also glad I called Alice. Anymore running would have caused major damage. When she picked me up I got in the drivers seat and it was jammed. I couldn't move it back. Ugh....Then when I got home I was boiling some water for pasta and tried out an electric salt dispenser I got for Christmas and as I put it over the pot and pushed the grind button, the entire unit came apart and dropped into the boiling water. Ugh... Then I went to throw the TV remote on the couch and it hit Reid's new iTouch. Ugh... Good thing it didn't break. Among other little things like dropping my fork, I've had some bad luck today.

Leading up to today and now especially after today's run, I've made the commitment to "knuckle down" for the next 76 days leading up to Ironman China. I'm going to start counting calories, limit the beer consumption, eat healthy and make sure I get good sleep and rest. I can't afford to have another training day like today. Heck, I don't want another day like today, period.

Long Run - 50:21 / 9.57 km / 5:15 pace