Halfway through training for the Shamrock Half Marathon, and the early stages of training for the Cleveland Marathon, this is one of those crucial weeks as I need a mental and physical boost for the next 5 weeks.
I could not afford to get sick like I did at the beginning of the week, so I fought back the best I could. Lots of fluids and lots of rest. As I briefly wrote about the other day, I managed to quickly get over my stomach bug. It seemed to have zero impact on how I felt running — in fact, that extra forced rest probably helped.
Today I had another moment to help me focus on what’s ahead — I decided last night to “sleep in” and do my long run whenever I woke up.
Just a week ago I was all about getting up early for my long and practicing what I would do for the Shamrock Half. With that race having a 7 a.m. start, I need all the dress rehearsals I can get. Last night, though, I was tired and I didn’t want an alarm waking me up.
This morning I woke up about 5:30 a.m. and had to use the restroom. After I got back in bed, I tossed and turned and thought about what happens on Shamrock morning — it’s usually a bit chilly and it’s dark for a while. No different than today. So I got up this morning and hit the road by 6:30 a.m. for an easy paced 12-mile run.
Training this winter has definitely been easier than most winters with the warmer temperatures, but it’s truly been a challenge for so many reasons. As I spend time thinking about things like I did today, I realize so much of it is mental. I feel like I’ve been mentally tough for a while, so it’s something I haven’t experienced in a while.
It impacts my training, my sleeping, and my ability to write anything worth reading, but I hope with my small victories this week that I can move on from these issues.
Real David H. 
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