I am My Own Worst Enemy
by mickiruns
Ugh. Just UGH.
The beginning: This morning there was a double rainbow gracing our neighborhood, and it was 55 degrees. However, by lunchtime it was raining sideways [almost tsunami-ing] and the temperature had dropped to 45. Lovely. This kind of weather hung around all day, until of course, later; where we traded rain for the pitch black darkness of the night – yet the temperature climbed. Oddest weather ever.
The solution [or so I thought]: I decided to get in a quick run at the gym. Big, big, big mistake. Everyone and their mother was there; the entire post had just got off work, and Resolutionists were out in full swing. Luckily I snagged a treadmill from a runner I see in there all the time, and we exchanged "this place is crazy" looks.
The soul crushing run: To say it went horrible, would be an understatement. I don’t even want to write it down in my running journal. I know that with pregnancy comes higher weight and slower paces – I just am having a really hard time wrapping my mind around this and I feel like I shouldn’t bother running anymore during the pregnancy.
The random: My legs are doing really weird things, at any given moment. This started in Ohio and I thought it was cold weather related, but it happened today on the treadmill. About a quarter mile into a run, my quads seize up on me and threaten to cramp. I have to tweak my gait a little, but after awhile I settle back into my normal gait and I am hurting all over again. This doesn’t happen every run, but often enough to where its an alarming nuisance. I’m also noticing that whenever I lay in bed and stretch, I get the feeling of an ‘almost’ charlie horse and I have to stop stretching. This sensation is everywhere from the calves to my quads. I don’t know where this is coming from or what I can do to combat it so if anyone has advice I’m willing to listen!!
Lesson learned: I don’t even know if there is one at this point. I had a crappy run and it put me in a bad mood; and I am questioning a lot right now. Mope with me?? Anyone??
I’ll try a redemption run tomorrow. I guess.
How do you get over a bad run?
Have you ever doubted yourself as a runner??
this is probably a silly question, but are you hydrating enough? I cant help it, hydrating is my hobby
electrolyte imbalance (drink some pedialyte) and pregnancy can also cause the cramping, as can extreme changes in temperature while exercising as you described. If it were me i’d try a longer warm-up period (hehe prenatal yoga hmm?) or just a brisk walk or a leisurely bike ride, with enough clothing to make you almost sweat before your actual jog. I cant WAIT til the studio and gym are back to their normal clientele numbers….. I love it that people are making better habits but seriously i’m starting to get uber territorial over matspace. Instead of a cork block i’m using a brick *just in case* some yogi dares creepin’ up on me. I also bite.
Anyways I know those tips all seem like simple solutions, but hope that helps
Wowza i’ve been on an internet binge lately, le sigh.
oh man, ive had those a lot. Solution, just forget about it and focus on the next. It was a run that you can check off the books!
You are amazing for running while pregnant…the most I did was walk toward the end of both of mine. Hang in there momma.. your a stud for even trying.
This is just temporary. You can cry about getting slower when it becomes permanent! I don’t know what to say about the cramping. I know you have a gluten intolerance but are you also a vegetarian? Maybe there is something lacking in your diet. Or maybe you should drink some electrolytes during the day. I was listening to a podcast about pregnancy and nutrition and there was a segment on how important electrolytes were. I started drinking Ultima everyday after that……idk
I can understand your frustration, but Hang in there. Running slower is not that bad. Certainly not worth giving up on.
Feel better girlie!
Don’t ever question yourself as a runner! You are awesome just being able to run at all while pregnant. I don’t know how you do it. You have to remember your body/joints/etc. are changing so much right now, you are bound to have some weird aches and pains as well as fatigue. Try not to be so hard on yourself:)
I completely and totally bonked the other day. We were supposed to run 11 miles and we stopped at 3. I just felt so awful about myself.. my pace was right under 13:00. What. The. HECK. I got all pissy and mad and we ended up leaving post. I felt so awful… going to try a long run this weekend.