I took an unscheduled day off from running yesterday. Can you believe it? It wasn't as if I had a small amount of miles to run either. I was supposed to run 5 miles. But the thought of getting out and running made me feel like it was a chore and not something I would enjoy. For the past week or so I've been feeling indifferent about my runs. I have had some days where I started out complaining but ended up enjoying the run as I was running. Given the fast that it's been hot as all get out here and yesterday we had a "cold front" should have made me want to throw on my clothes and just run till my heart's content. However I found myself feeling the exact opposite. I wanted to stay inside and rest. I wanted one day where I didn't rush to get a run in. I wanted to enjoy the day.
My plan currently only has one day off from running and even in that day I'm cross training with my workout moms. I had to take a day off from them too because my muscles felt a bit tight and sore one morning as I eased myself out of bed. I went to pick my 17 month old up and my back was screaming at me as if I had overworked it. Had I overworked it? I contemplated taking a couple of days off from working out but my wife encouraged me to stick with it. Cross training makes my runs easier and I'm able to recover faster. The one time I did take two days off from working out I noticed a huge difference in my posture and my cadence when I ran. Plus I don't walk like a duck after my long runs anymore. Yeah I walked like Penguin from Batman for weeks after my first race. You should have seen me try and go up and down the stairs.
I remember reading an article a while back that said if you start to feel tired, cranky or bored with your runs that you might be over-training. Over-training was never a concept that I took into consideration. My plan says to do this so that's what I'm doing. At times I would deviate a bit due to last minute changes in schedules or plans but I always managed to maintain my weekly planned mileage. I picked my current training plan based on the amount of weekly miles I was already running. When I first looked at it I thought that the plan was a bit daunting but I figured that if I didn't push myself a bit that I wouldn't reap the benefits of an easy and enjoyable race. I learned my lesson from my half marathon and I was determined to have fun during the race rather than think of everyone around me as my competitors and trying to reach some insane time goal. Of course I would love to run faster but I also got into (and stuck with) running because it was something that brought me peace and comfort.
I've learned to listen to what my body is telling me, even if I don't like what it has to say. I realized yesterday that the remaining eight weeks in my plan will have to have some tweaks. My achy muscles and rundown spirit are signs that something has to change. While I'm sure that I'll be able to run the marathon, I don't want to be grumpy and complain while I'm doing it. So two major changes to my plan will be two days off instead of one and try to run earlier in the day as opposed to later in the afternoon/evening. I've pushed myself hard for the first ten weeks of my plan, I think I can allow myself to be gentle and kind to my body for the remaining eight.
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