Black Dog

Found this today.  I didn't realize I still had it.  From my first PPA in 1995.  Anyone else have one of these or earlier even?  Obviously I wore this one a lot!

(Warning:  Not a cheery feel good hit of the summer kind of post.  If you can't handle it stop reading now.)

Back Dog.  That is the song by Led Zeppelin that was playing in the cab when I got in it tonight.  I wasn't happy about the cab ride but I had to get home somehow.

I got my flu shot on Monday.  I got one last year and I don't remember it messing with me too much.  I stayed away from them for years because I had to get them when I was in the military and whenever I did, I was sick as a dog a few hours later then for the next few days.  Since last year's shot didn't affect me I went ahead and got one for this season but I don't think I was as lucky this time around.

Tuesday for the most part I felt okay but definitely not stellar.  I also had some soreness show up which I just attributed to the riding and the running over the weekend.  I blew off my run at the CC track in the morning because when I woke up, well it was cold and dark out so I said screw it.  I have plenty, plenty of months ahead of me to go run in the cold and dark.  No sense rushing to do it now, I thought.  I was wanting to do a MAF test so I decided to wait until after work and go to the Manitou High School Track and do it there.

In short, it didn't go to well at the Manitou Track.  Even my first warmup mile was rough.  Each of the four test miles were about a minute off from what I was expecting.  To make it worse, the results were inconsistent as my last two of the four miles were faster than the first two.  Weird.

Wednesday I really started to feel like crap.  Not really sick but just fuzzy-headed.  I had some drainage.  It was feeling like I was either dealing with allergies, coming down with a cold or maybe just the flu shot was messing with me.  I felt really tired come 2-3 p.m. and was seriously contemplating a nap which I really never do.  I didn't feel so great so I decided to just walk the dog and take it easy instead of pushing things.  Get to bed early and hopefully head off any virus or infection that might be settling in.

That worked as I felt better today but still not 100%.  I gave myself the day to sort out how I felt and if I was up for trying to get in 20 miles tonight or not.  By three in the afternoon I had convinced myself to go for it and by four I was out the door and running.

Let me say straight up, I am so burned out of running in Colorado Springs.  There are some segments that I run that I would just as well rather be on a treadmill for, and those who know me know how much I hate treadmills.  At least on a treadmill I don't have to look at all the depressing stuff that I see on all of my runs.  Anyway...

I got in the first ten okay... made it to 11.5 miles and then more or less stopped.  I just stopped.  Fuck it.  I was done.  I turned around and walked about a mile to Lucky Dragon, ordered a Kung Pao Chicken dinner to go and called a cab for a ride home and then listened to Black Dog the rest of the way home.

That was my day.

Not sure what the hell is going on with me.  Am I just burned out all together?  Is it that I can't get overly enthused or motivated about the JFK 50?  Is it just that after Leadman and this summer nothing looks as bright and shiny as that did to me?  Have I pushed too hard these past few weeks and maybe facing an over training situation?  Or are there non-running influences messing with things... job, living situations, just day to day stress or just all of the above?  Could it be the autumn blahs that I usually get?  I wonder about that one as I found myself today wishing it were the first day of winter already because at least then I know the days are getting longer and things are just looking up all around, or at least that is my perception of things after the Solstice.

I just don't know... but I decided on my little walk to pull the plug on the rest of the training this week.  I am going to give myself a few days to step back and hopefully have my mind and body resynchronize before getting on with it some more.