This morning my half marathon training schedule called for eight miles. I jogged 4.5 fantastic miles and jogged/crawled 3.5 awful ones.
I was a victim of my own carelessness. I didn’t consume enough calories for the amount of time I was on the course.
I parked my car in the middle of a cloverleaf course I designed. That way, if I wanted to discard my jacket I was never too far from my car. However, this blessing also was a curse. I was really struggling once I hit mile 5.5. At 6.25 I passed the parking lot, saw my car, and felt a strong gravitational pull toward it. I told myself that these are the training sessions that build character. I coaxed myself into finishing by promising myself I could walk as much as needed, as long as my Garmin GPS registered eight miles when I was finished.
Finally it was over and I felt great, not physically, but emotionally. I gutted it out and accomplished my mission. When I got home I compared my mile by mile times against my six miler from two weeks ago. I finished the first six miles of today’s run a bit faster. Baby steps!
Next week is a recovery week and my long run will only be five miles. That should feel like a breeze after today.
482gr8 
I have had 2 or 3 runs just like that one this past fall. I’m fine until around the 10 k barrier usually and then the wheels come off. I never used to be this way but it’s fallout from my heart surgery problems. I just see it all these days as staying healthy and burning calories and I try to not get too disappointed by the performance!
My feet were killing me afterward. I’m going to investigate the Hoka brand before I have to do a 10-miler in two weeks. But yesterday’s run was a character-builder! I think it’s great that you are running after heart surgery!