5x2K - NOT!

I suppose this had to happen sooner or later.

I gave up on a workout, for no other reason than that I mentally just could not do it.

I woke up a bit late and rushed over to the track. I started my warm-up, and 10 steps in we had a problem. The track was slippery, like a skating rink. The thin layer of snow had melted yesterday and refrozen overnight leaving a very fine layer of ice and leaving me with no toe push. (It was 25F (-4C) this morning and foggy).

What to do...what to do?

I drove down to 800 East, a nice flat stretch of road, and did an abbreviated 1km warm-up. I felt sluggish. I started the intervals anyway: 500m in 2:52 (slow), 2:50 (still slow) and 2:56 (even slower). My heart rate was not budging form the low 150s. When I saw the 2:56, I gave up mentally. The thought of 4 more intervals like this was daunting, like a horse looking at a jump that is just too high and balking. I balked. I walked slowly back to the car (1.97km in 11:58) and drove home. I spent a while beating myself up, but at the sight of my kids and how cute they were this morning, I cheered up a little.

I texted Jim to call me if he was awake. He called about 90 min later and sounded very sleepy. Oops. I had woken him up (his phone keeps beeping every so often when he gets a text, which I didn't know or I wouldn't have done it). He told me it would be OK that we could sort it out. So now I'm to do a 5K fartlek tomorrow (instead of 10K recovery) and then continue with the regularly scheduled 35K on Saturday.

I still feel disappointed in myself. But maybe it was the right thing to stop. I don't know.