At Sixes and Sevens

My stride was off. I can't describe how, really, but I'll try. I used to get these dreams where I'd have to run to escape someone, or run to catch something, and I'd need to run as fast as I could but, every time I tried, I'd fail. I'd be running in slow motion because, somehow, my strides were too big to propel me forward effectively.

Yesterday, I was living that dream. DId a very slow 10-miler up the West Side, to Riverside Park, then up Riverside Drive to 140th and back down. Everything was off. There was a heavy cross-breeze that flirted with being a committed head wind. My quad felt overly tired. And my stomach.

Very little sleep the night before led to some of the worst food decisions I've made in a while. There was the egg sandwich from Starbucks and the mocha. Then, for 'lunch' (if you can count a meal at 11:00am lunch), a cheese, fruit and nut plate from Starbucks.

First, Starbucks's food is terrible. Everything is pre-packaged and then microwaved, where applicable. Second, every list that I've ever seen about what you should and should not eat before a run lists high-fat and high-protein foods on the verboten side.

Think both of those plus apple (whose skin gives you cramps and stomach problems during running) and you've got my pre-run meal. Oi. Serious issues.

But, bottom line was, I just couldn't get into the rhythm. Not in my classes. Not in the constant back-and-forth to-and-from New York. Not in my run.

I kept trying to go faster but taking strides that were too big. When I realized this, I tried to increase my turnover but, like in my dreams, this just seemed to fail! Very disturbing.

Leaving town again this week for a race that I've been both anticipating and dreading. Another test before the real thing.