Mental grit

All week I’ve been feeling like I’m trying to fight off getting sick.  I’ve been extra tired and slept lots this weekend.  Even so Monday morning’s run went well.  A good hard run of hill repeats on the treadmill. 

Tuesday morning I woke up feeling just icky so I thought I’d stay home from work and sleep for the day and feel better.  Well I did sleep all day, and I woke up this morning feeling less run down than the day before.  That is until after my 6 mile run…

This was one of the more mentally painful runs I’ve had in a long time.  I really didn’t feel like a 6 mile run, but I figured I should push through it.  It can take the first mile of a run for me to hit my stride when I really don’t feel like exercise.  The first mile…check.  1.5 miles…check.  2 miles…still did not want to be running.  Each step took effort, mental effort that is.  The run wasn’t hard, but I had no energy for it.  Each step took mental grit to keep going.  Feet hitting one after another after another…  Probably not feeling well was making it harder than it otherwise would have.  Mental grit is a good thing because I will probably need to force my body through the last miles of the marathon, but it is not an enjoyable skill to practice.

After my run I felt worse.  I hate trying to work when I feel sick, but I pushed through the day.  I just hope I feel better by the weekend.  I can’t imagine pushing through 13 miles not feeling very good.