Just keep swimming...

I've been tired this week. I haven't been totally irresponsible wasting time before bed, but it's awfully hard for me to go from work under pressure to dreamland in under an hour. And I have been getting to sleep around 11, which is much more difficult than the running.

Unfortunately, the tempo run was not going to happen yesterday, and probably will not happen the way it's supposed to, um, ever. In the morning, I'm sleepy and haven't eaten much (more consumption would require an earlier wakeup). I also feel seriously limited by the beta blocker which I take daily to keep migraines to a couple times a month rather than every other day. I've also gotten very hot very quickly in this stickiness.

This is not really to complain. I'm not upset or uncomfortable. I've kind of just accepted that my health is at a good equilibrium and, within the constraints that hold it all balanced, I just have to do what I can do. Tempo runs are important for increasing speed but don't really do anything for endurance training, so a poor tempo run record shouldn't affect my ability to finish the marathon. And I don't feel like the beta blocker is as much of a problem when it comes to endurance. My legs still feel good and I always feel like I can run more at the end of a long one. Must be a heart rate thing.

I did try to do part of a temp run today. I ran up to the resevoir and then increased my speed for a lap around it. My fast speed was about a 9:40 mile. And I felt it.

I ran it all without music, yesterday and today, and actually the long run on Saturday. I didn't bring it to the long run so that I would appear welcoming of distracting conversation. I thought it would be impossible to keep going without music; that I'd be totally dependent on the extra stimulation to keep my mind of the tiring task. Turns out I liked  the quiet. Or the white noise, at least. For part of the time I think deeply, and for most of it, not at all. It's like I'm perceiving everything but there is no processing going on, like looking out a car window when I'm sleepy. There's something easier about it, and more satisfying. For now, the music is staying at home.