Today’s run was on trails which means I run slower , but I ran extra slow today because of several factors. First , it was literally 100% humidity and 74 degrees which makes for extremely high dew point. Dew point is the number that kills. Not murder , but ruins your pace and makes running suck.

Second, I’m still trying to recover from last weekend’s race. With peri -menopause and adrenal fatigue , it’s taking me longer to bounce back from a hard race or training run. I find that I have to respect the process or I’ll regret it because I’ll crash even harder . Sleep is my friend! Eating enough protein is essential. Vitamin B12 and D3 really help, too.

Thirdly, I’m at a point in my cycle where my energy is dropping or I guess it fell off a cliff . I had a decent cycle this month and got a lot accomplished so I’m very thankful about that. But I knew it wouldn’t last forever and the day finally came. Bleh. Hello again sore boobs and sugar cravings!

My goal was 10 miles, but while I was running mile three I was already thinking about quitting early. I try to always run at least 4 miles just to make myself get past that urge to quit so I kept going but I was doubting myself. My pace for the first few miles was ok but it dropped as my clothes got more and soaked in sweat by 5 miles.

I asked myself if there was any benefit in running this slow and taking so many walk breaks. I decided that, for today , yes, I needed the time on my feet. I have a tough race in two weeks. I needed to know I could keep going when it gets tough.

My dog was running with me off leash , the trail is on my own land, and she nearly tripped me several times. Once she was playing with her tennis ball, not sure where she got the energy, throwing it around and jumping at it . She did that right on the trail and then jumped back bumping into me. Argh!! I’m way too tired for that! She almost took me out.

I ate a gel at mile 8.5 and put on some music instead of the depressing podcast I was listening to. This runner was sharing about her decision to get a divorce. That always makes me so sad. She’s at that dangerous age, wanting more out of life, blaming her discontent on her husband . Marriage is tough in your forties. Anyway I put on music and the sugar kicked in and my last mile was the same pace as my first mile. That happens often with my 10th mile. Second wind baby!

So I’m glad I pushed through and got it done. There are some instances where I would say you should skip a run or cut it short. If you’re injured and in sharp pain or really sick, the run is a waste at best and harmful at worst. I think most people need more recovery than they think, especially women and people with a lot of stress in their lives.

I’m hoping our plans to do a fast hike tomorrow work out and it doesn’t rain . What are you doing this weekend? Have a good one!