I run myself into injury. All. the. time.
I don't listen to the cues my body gives me, and I will run simply because I want to log the miles and I don't want to miss a workout. This happens even if I know it will hurt me. Somehow I can't get my brain to override the desire to simply check off a workout in my training program. Instead of paying attention to the cues my body gives me, I go run anyway and end up missing SEVERAL weeks of running due to my own idiocy.
It was the theme for last year. I think I missed over 12+ weeks of running due to injuries last year. Not a good thing.
Anyway, this weekend I was scheduled to run 5 miles. Ever since my first run on Wednesday last week, my achilles tendon has been excessively tight and bothersome. I ran on it on Thursday (yep, still not learning from past mistakes) and the pain continued to get worse. Combined with my strength training workouts, it was definitely sore (and not the good kind) by the time Saturday arrived.
Saturday morning I woke up feeling under the weather. I was stuffed up and had a sore throat. I knew that I was not going to be getting in a workout that day because my body needed rest more than it needed a run. I opted to take an unplanned rest day and get some needed sleep so my body could catch up and repair itself. Even though it's been bugging me since Saturday that I missed that mileage, it also has taught me an important lesson: It's okay to listen to your body.
Has the world fallen apart since I didn't meet my training schedule last week? Nope.
Has my body fallen into utter disrepair? Nope. In fact, I feel much better and my heel is healing.
Will I not be able to run a half marathon now that I didn't run 5 miles? Nope. It's just one run of many runs, and I will still have plenty of mileage in my bank by the time the half marathon shows up.
All in all, it was a good lesson for someone who really struggles with missing runs. The world will continue to rotate whether or not I am 100% on all my runs. Good to know. :)
Awesome girl! I could definitely learn a lesson from you. I am incredibly guilty of pushing myself when I know for a fact I shouldn't. But I am working on it and am getting better at acknowledging it.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are feeling better!
So, so, so, SO happy you listened to your body!!!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post! Sometimes it can be hard to stop. Way to get some good resting time in! Hope your heel is feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you listened. I have a hard time with this too. I have officially started my marathon training and I am really going to try and make sure I listen to my body - I can't afford to miss weeks of training if I plan on finishing 26.2 in MAY! Good for you and I hope you are feeling great today!
ReplyDeleteI'm a lot like you. I don't quit and keep going. I need to LISTEN to my body. It's so hard to do. I've learned my lesson (somewhat) and it helps to take a break sometime. Hang in there. :)
ReplyDeleteGirl, I need to do the same thing. I'm such a workout junkie that when I miss a workout I freak out. I think after half marathon season is over, I'm going to take a month (or two) off from running because my body is giving me those same injury cues and I think I need to scale back until everything feels normal again.
ReplyDeleteOh, remember to ice whatever hurts! :-)
ah, the lesson that took me the longest to learn and understand :)... and I'm still working on it. Rest is VERY good when it comes to running. Way to listen to your body!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the motivation to push myself to injury. That sounds strange, but I do. Once something starts to hurt I tend to psych myself out. Not saying it's a good thing that you got hurt, but I am a little jealous of your drive. You're a champ!
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