What’s Wrong With Me?

So lately my runs have not been very impressive.  My speed is horrible; but I am also battling an injury.  I think I sprained my ankle while playing in the snow with my kids in February.  I have a half marathon in two weeks that I really want to get under my belt.  But my energy level just hasn’t been what it usually is.  What’s wrong with me??

I know when I am injured it slows me down but I always push through it regardless of the pain.  I find ways to get around it.  I am using KT tape now to keep it together while it heals and I even took time off of running and just walked on the treadmill most days of the week and I know that when I do run it’ll hurt that night and maybe the next day.  But there is improvement.

But my oomph is missing.  When it’s a running day for me and my alarm goes off at 6 I usually get right up and go.  Not these past few weeks.  I’m hitting snooze and dragging.  I crave sleep more than I desire to go out for a run.  Is it the fact that winter JUST won’t let go for us?  The days are still cold?  I can’t quite put my finger on it.  In the summer I would go out on the weekends early so I could do my runs and long runs before it is too hot and also before the family was up so that it was done and we had the day ahead of us.  I don’t have that desire to just get up and go lately.  But I love running and my time alone.  I just love my cozy bed more.  Do I just have to suck it up and get my ass up and go or is there something more going on?  I am happy that the sun is out now earlier again so I can get up at 6 and go out rather than just go downstairs to the treadmill.  But it’s still easier for me to hit snooze and wait.  Maybe I just need to put the effort in and FORCE myself to get up and out and make it a pattern/habit again and then my energy level will increase and I will get that focus back.

But I am also seeing it in my worklife.  My brain has been so foggy lately!  Heidi told me to click somewhere the other day and I swear she saw the hamsters in my brain trying to spin the wheel to tell my fingers to click the mouse and click on the menu item.  It was so strange!  It was like my engine was not firing all cylinders!  Is it cabin fever?  Do I just need a break?  I don’t feel like I need a break.  I feel like I need a boost!

This blog post is regarding women’s issues and may have some TMI so if you aren’t into that, you can stop reading now.  I just turned 43 this week.  I think my body is changing – I know my body is changing.  I think I am approaching the perimenopausal age.  Things are different than they used to be and I think my energy level may be related to the time of the month and also what happens during that time might be causing my iron to drop.  Let’s just say that what used to last just a few days is lasting more than a few days and the volume has increased.  Hopefully this cryptic message made sense.

I also did a leg workout on Sunday that made my legs so sore I could barely walk up stairs for two days.  So I am wondering if that is why my legs felt like they were 100 pounds each today on my run.  I enjoyed the workout and didn’t mind doing it at all.  It felt good to do something different and my goal is to cross train more and do more strength training so that my leg muscles will be stronger and I will avoid injury over the marathon training weeks in the late summer and fall.

I know I need to get to my doctor and I will.  I am keeping notes of these changes that are occurring in my body, but wonder if it is normal for someone my age.  My mom had fibroid tumors and had a hysterectomy at a young age.  The fact that she had fibroids is where my concern is and I will express that concern to my doctor.

So what is going on with me?  Do I just have Spring Fever and need the good warm sunshine to perk me up?  Am I in a running funk?  The reason why I didn’t register for the Providence marathon this spring was because I didn’t want to commit myself to spring training for a marathon since I just got off of fall training for two within two months of each other and I wanted to give my body a break.  I also wanted to focus on doing some half marathons this spring to help get some better finish times; but now they are going to be more about surviving and getting them done rather than getting a PR because my leg won’t heal.

Have you ever gone through this?  Is it happening to us New Englanders because we had so much snow and cold this winter and we are DYING for Spring to come?  Please share!