On the surface, the run depicted above, looks very much like a typical race week run.  In reality, it was a run where I thought “something doesn’t feel right” and as a result, I changed it dramatically.

The run was scheduled to be an intense, 10 x 400m sprint interval workout.  I was planning to warm up for a couple of miles, do the intervals and then run a cool down mile or so.  The whole thing should have lasted just over an hour.  It was going to be my last hard workout, before racing on Sunday.

So what actually happened?   During my warm up, my legs felt quite fatigued, and I was wheezing a little while breathing.  I immediately thought that something didn’t feel right.  It was my warm up however, and things often improve significantly when I am actually warmed up.

After about a mile, stomach cramps had joined the list of things concerning me, and I stopped for a bathroom break.  After the break, my stomach felt better, but I still felt fatigued.  I did manage to get back into a running rhythm, so I tried my first 400m interval.

I felt it almost straight away.  My pace was much slower than it should have been.  My breathing was difficult, as I was producing a lot of mucus. I didn’t even finish the 400m.  I slowed down to a jog and decided right then, to just run back to my car and go home.  It’s race week. I don’t need to push through and dig myself into a hole.

I am proud of my decision this evening.  I always told myself, that if something doesn’t feel right, then I should stop the workout. Today, I actually listened.