Thursday, November 05, 2009
Listening to Your Body
No runner ever wants to abort a long run. (Actually, we hate to stop short for any run, right?) Last weekend, that's exactly what I had to do. I had to quit half way through. I still can't put my finger on why that happened. It could be that I simply needed the break.
The next morning would normally have been a cross-train day or a recovery run day. I was still apprehensive about why I couldn't finish my run the day before, so I went for a long walk with the dog instead. A great yellow moon lifted my spirits as I watched it rise. A relaxing brisk walk must have been exactly what I needed because I couldn't wait to get out the next day and really go for a run.
My Tuesday 4-miler was brisk and I took the hills with gusto, ones that normally would have had me huffing and puffing. I wondered if I would retain that feeling for the Wednesday 7-miler, and the answer?? Yes! And so it seems, I'm back with even more energy than I had last week. Yippee!
This goes to show how important it is to LISTEN to your body while marathon training. The schedule is a guide and sometimes, I get stuck thinking I have to follow it exactly. Not true. I have found without fail that if I listen to my body when I need a break, the comeback is twice as fulfilling.
Gotta go! I'm getting my shoes on for the Thursday 4-miler!
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