The Dieting And Running Problems I’ve Been Encountering After The Difficult Long Slow Distance Run On Sunday.
This has been a really shit week for running and dieting. I haven’t shaken the fatigue felt after last Sunday’s run and I haven’t ran in 5 days.
It’s particularly annoying as I have been making progress of late in terms of my speed and my weight.
Here’s how I’ve been feeling and reacting to the long run in recent days.
- I’ve been fiending after all of the goods that I know aren’t good for me. Cans of Dr Pepper, Grape Fanta, Reese’s Cups and Jelly Belly beans are just some of the junk that I’ve consumed. I will eat enough shit to give an eating disorder councillor an aneurysm.
- I’ve been questioning whether I actually like running anymore. The last two miles of the 16.5 miler sucked. I am not one of those strange motherfuckers who loves pain either. I run to escape pain, not to meet it. When I experience a lot of discomfort I wonder if this really is for me or not….
- I’m feeling worn down and temperamental. And when I feel this way I comfort eat. And when I comfort eat I feel bloated and don’t wanna run in case I shit myself from all the Oreos I ate the other night. I don’t like running on a full stomach. I feel ashamed slightly. That’s why I prefer running on winter mornings. Then no one can see me wobble around town. But the fact is I’ve been feeding unintentionally into a vicious cycle again.
- My sleep pattern is still royally fucked up. I can never sleep well the night after a long run. This is frustrating considering how much effort I put into the run. Sunday’s shitty sleep paved the way for mid week lethargy that has persisted through until today. It’s my fault for letting it get like this. A run on Wednesday would have broken my downward spiral for the week but I’ve just let the slump continue…..
How do I react to this bad start to the week?
So here I am only 10 days shy of marathon number 4 feeling sorry for myself again.
Reacting like this has never helped me before, so why would it start to work now?
The only attitude that has ever proved useful is getting up one more time and running it away again. I’m gonna do that again at 5am tomorrow morning.
I’ve fucked up badly for most of today too but that doesn’t mean I have to continue to eat crap tonight. I can turn it around for myself by eating better over the weekend and relaxing.
And the fightback begins now! No Pot Noodle for supper…
Whenever I find myself struggling on a particular day with food, I try to eat something healthy at the end of the day. It helps me start fresh the next day. Just an idea!
And my guess is you don’t really hate running… Keep at it! You will do great next marathon!!!
I hope the run tomorrow helps the lethargy. Sometimes a little interval session or tempo run gives me more energy than when I started. 🙂
I know how you feel. Me personally, I can only run 6 miles at the moment non-stop and not want to die of heart failure but I am with you on the misery of certain shitty runs where all you want to do is collapse and sob in the shower after like The Crying Game. But you have been my inspiration to get my ass in gear and shut the fuck up complaining so keep it up – so I don’t fall into a pit of jellybean burger lazy despair!