NYC marathon training update #3

This weekend, I hit mile 12 of my training. It was an unusually hot day in my city and I decided to run all 12 miles at the gym where there was air conditioning. This isn’t unusual for me. I’ve run 12 miles several times before, but yesterday, my body just wasn’t having it. I was dragging my feet to the gym and once I got there, I was debating between a 6 vs 12 mile run.  My mind said 12 miles (which was listed on my program), but my body insisted on 6.

Luckily, my mind won, but it was an uphill battle.

 

I was on pace at a 10 min/mile for my first 6 miles, but at mile 6, my body started resisting. I dropped down to an 11 min/mile pace and mentally, I felt defeated. Physically, my body was thanking me. I had pushed it too hard last week and it was telling me that it needed more recovery time. So I tried to listen. I slowed down and – wouldn’t you know it? – I felt better. So tip of the day?

Listen to your body. It knows best.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. After finishing my long run, I suffered from a mild form of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also known as Runner’s Trots for the rest of the day. IBS is not extremely well understood, but in short, it’s a discomfort in the abdominal region and symptoms can include stomach cramps, constipation, bloating, and diarrhea. I have never experienced the trots while racing, but I do sometimes get a mild irritation post long runs and this time, my cramps got so bad that I needed to curl up into a ball in bed to ease the pain. Certain foods are known to exacerbate the situation and after Saturday, I will definitely be keeping an eye on my food intake pre and post race. Now, I’m off for my recovery run. Wish me luck!