Why It’s Ok Not To Run Today - Even If It Was In The Plan
Something I read on Twitter two days ago got me thinking. It was a tweet by Dr Josie Perry that said “If you have a coach you’re less likely to get injured but more likely to overtrain.” Hmmm. Yes, I do have a coach. And he works me hard, because I set him this challenging goal to get me qualified for the Boston marathon next year. A compounding factor to this, which I have shared in previous posts, is that I am a perfectionist. And I like having a structured plan to follow. It’s just the type of person I am. Can you see where this is going?
The perfectionist in me tends to want to stick to the plan no matter what. The coach in me knows that results are achieved with consistency, which basically means that by running on a regular basis, and provided you do not get injured, you will see improvements. I still have a long way to go until I can run a 3:30 marathon, but not so much time left ahead of me. So getting on with the plan seems particularly critical. I have been fortunate that I have not suffered from an injury recently. I put it down to an improved running technique following Chi Running combined with my new found ability to actually run at easy pace and not hammer down every single run (a derived product from Chi Running also). Overall I do enjoy running and training. I have been running 5 times a week for a few months now, trying to fit it in around an otherwise busy work and family life. If I don’t feel like running for whatever reason, I still do it unless I feel physically sick.
Some days your body or your mind is screaminig for a break - listen to it!
Training is going ok in general and delivered a decent half-marathon PB in November. But I have to be honest with myself, mentally the training is starting to take its toll. I’m studying for a career change in parallel to all this, so everything is pretty full on, as I also try to spend time being a mum to my 6-yr old and 3-yr old. I have always been the hyperactive type, taking pride in being able to juggle a multitude if tasks at once. So what’s a bit of work/running/mothering/studying? The same way that I am still very bad at saying no at work (improving there though!), I am very bad at saying no to myself. But last night I did. I had a 35min easy pace run planned, but I got stuck in traffic for pretty much the full 14 miles back from work and I just wanted a night off. Last night, I didn’t drag myself out for my run. And you know what? I don’t even feel bad for it. The same way that some days your body screams for a break and you should listen to it, yesterday my mind screamed for a break from my running schedule too. Overtraining is a thing (I suffered from it when training for the London marathon in 2010, which sucked away my love of running), and something to be mindful of if you want to keep your relationship with running healthy. It’s because I love running (and myself!) that I took a break yesterday. Running will be back tonight, and I will go back to it not deflated but with a little spring in my step because absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Happy running!