Wednesday Morning Pancakes

Every Wednesday morning I have a large helping of blueberry pancakes. It has become somewhat of a tradition. I am usually pretty hungry the day after my extensive track workout. I don't hold back either.....a heap of butter and plenty of syrup....not that I plan it that way as it is purchased not made at home. My boss brings in breakfast for the men each morning. Wednesday is the only day I get anything.

Well.....this morning he showed up with my pancakes and I didn't really want to eat them. Oh.....not that I wasn't hungry or didn't want them but because I skipped track last night and had that nagging feeling that I didn't deserve them.....or more like didn't need that many calories after a night of only mowing and swimming.

You see, I had no choice but to trade off track night for mowing night as the forcast showed rain and thunder showers for the rest of the week. With me racing Saturday, that left no time for the mowing if it rains Sunday.

My rational thought pattern last night was that I can easily run in the rain but can't mow in the rain. This has been such a rainy spring and summer, I felt I better get the mowing done before it turned into haying.

It made plenty of sense last night right up until I finished and it started getting dark. It was then that the reality kicked in and I was hit with the fact that I didn't run track....I didn't get that workout my brain and body felt for sure I needed before the race.

I could conjour up a vision in my mind of my track buddies laboring through the last of the 6x800s....gasping for as much oxygen as they could find, swiping the massive beads of sweat from their face,their muscles screaming for relief yet their body bubbling over with that huge feeling of accomplishment.

After the meek workout I had mowing, with barely a bead of sweat breaking through to the surface, I didn't earn the breakfast. I wish I could go back, I wish I could get that workout in, but they say one can't make up for a lost workout. All I can do now is move on.

My only hope is that I can kick my own butt tonight with a very hilly tempo run to burn off the syrup, the butter, the pancakes and this feeling of letting myself down.
A second option would be to go to the track and duplicate last nights workout. I may do that.

This is exactally the reason I have not trimmed down to my PR racing weight. I enjoy eating way too much. In 2003, when I PR'ed this race, I was 10 pounds lighter.....I totally planned on being at the same weight this year....I am not.

In 2003 and 2004, I could literally watch the winter weight peel off my body on a daily bassis as spring turned into summer.....since then, I have really struggled. The only thing I can hope for is to at least beat my last years 10K time of 48:03. Perhaps I can do that.

After tonight, there will be no more time for quality training as I must taper and rest for the race. Tonite is my last chance...I hope I don't blow it by skipping the run and replacing it with a huge spagetti dinner or something.

As usual, I am on the wake of a race that is important to me and I am not as prepared as I should be or could be. I have discounted my own training by not sticking to the plan. I again have to tone down my goals to match my condition.

My brain want's to crush my 44 minute run in 2003 but my body will have all it can do to beat the 48 minute run from last year. Luckily for me, I ran 50 minutes the year before so it is pretty certain that I won't run my worst time on this course.

OK....I am done whinning and complaining....see what unearned blueberry pancakes can do to a person?