Ryan Hall
There is a difference between being lazy and just being
plain stupid. Not surprisingly I have to remind myself of this often.
Case in point: I have been exhausted this week. After not
running on Monday (which is typically the day I don’t run, though I swim) I expected
to be fresh and ready to go for yesterday’s speed session. I was anything but.
I struggled through the workout, fighting to hit interval paces that should
have come easy. Stubbornly I completed the workout and went ahead with my lunch
swim as well. By 2 pm I could barely stay awake at work. I literally felt like
at any moment I would face plant directly into my keyboard. No amount of
caffeine worked yesterday.
The cause? I think it has something to do with the 81 miles
I ran last week, which included 2 speed sessions and a 5k race. Well duh. Obviously
I need more rest after that kind of week (no shit Sherlock).
This morning I had planned to run 15 miles which is my standard mid-week long run. This was to be
my last heavy week of mileage before taper for my marathon in 3 weeks. The
illogical side of my brain scolded me for being lazy if I skip this workout.
The logical side of my brain told me I’m not being lazy if I miss this run, but
I’m actually being plain stupid for attempting 15 miles when my body is clearly
telling me it needs more rest. It’s always a toss up which voice I listen to. It’s
almost like I have the running devil on one shoulder and the running angel on
the other, one telling me not to be lazy and one telling me not to be stupid. Initially
I reasoned with myself, telling myself I would just run 5-6 miles instead of
the 15 but found myself asking what good those few miles would do?
For me, particularly after injury, I have to constantly
practice a new kind of discipline. This isn’t
the discipline of working my hardest. It’s the discipline of taking care of myself,
recognizing my limits, and walking away from a workout if I need to. I envy
people to whom this comes easy.
This morning I walked away
from a workout. I know my body will thank me later.
***Coincidentally the Ryan Hall quote above was delivered into my inbox this morning. Apparently the universe is trying to tell me something.
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| My advice to you |
Smart move. Bad time to overdo it. And as you always tell me, the hay is in the barn :)
ReplyDeleteI know - I totally need to take my own advice :)
DeleteI definitely know what you mean - it's always good to think about what you're getting out of the workout rather than just logging the miles... I'm doing the same sort of mental reasoning after coming off some long bike miles last weekend and decided to rest a little easy this week.
ReplyDeleteHi Britt! You're right - it's always good to stop and think about the purpose of the miles you are putting in to make sure they aren't "junk" miles. It's tough sometimes as an endurance athlete (I know you can relate) not to get stuck on the numbers as we (and everyone else it seems) are constantly churning out big numbers whether they be on the bike, road or in the pool. It's good to remember it's okay to take a break!
Delete81 miles... I'm not even sure i reach that mileage in a month. LOL I wish!!! No really, I wish. Only way is if I were as fast as you are -- then maybe it could be possible. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are making wise decisions and don't sweat it. You got the training in. You're good to go. I can't wait for your race.
Definitely don't do as I do, do as I say. Haha. 81 miles with all the speed work mixed in was too much. Takes too much recovery time. Lesson learned :) Hope you are well!! :)
DeleteWow! Nice mileage. I agree. It's so hard to tell sometimes if it's mental or physical at your point in training. One run isn't going to make or break your race.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jessica! I think for me it's a little bit of both at this point - both mental and physical. Which logically means a break is necessary - just hard to recognize that sometimes :)
DeleteErin, this is a great post and definitely something all of us endurance athletes face. As much as we can accept that training is a large body of work, it's the thought of missing one workout here or shortening another one there that engulfs our mindset. Rest is just as important as the hard workouts, it's just constantly reminding ourselves (and accepting that notion) that is tough.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Steve! You are so right. It's important to remember that our body gets stronger during rest as it does by working hard through training. I just hate the feeling of guilt I get from missing workouts :)
DeleteDealing with the same thing up here and so is a friend of mine. I'm going to direct her to your post. I can't tell you how many times I've ignored a small injury that has grown into a big one and I always wonder-had I just taken a few days off would I have been able to race that goal race? I took an extra day off Monday for a tendon flare up and I felt like I was finally becoming a big girl, haha. Good to know everyone goes through it!
ReplyDeleteAt almost 35 I'm still on my way to becoming a big girl...not quite there yet but maybe one day. Ha! If only I wasn't so damn stubborn. I try to remind myself it's much smarter to take a few days off on the front end rather than run through something and have to take weeks off on the back end!
DeleteErin! I'm right with you! I ran my last real long run of 22 miles on the day of ridiculous wind! I've been dealing with tendon issues since January and then I got sick that week! I made it through some workouts during the week but come Friday, I was really feeling bad. I skipped my run, in hopes that I could make it through 15 Saturday. I cried when I turned around at 6.5 and realized I didn't know if I'd make it even 1 more mile. I ended up barely making 13 at the slowest pace I've seen in a long time, taking walk breaks the last 2 miles! Then this week I have tried to give my poor leg a rest by taking 2 whole days off in a row. It was brutal, but I really want to have a somewhat decent time in Boston. I think all my hopes of a PR are out, but I'm going to try and be a big girl, ha! and enjoy the experience. Thank you for your honest post AND any advice for a first time Boston marathoner?! Good luck at your April marathon!
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