The weather reached 62 degrees today. The smell of spring was in the air. It was a perfect day for a run. So, what did I do? I went to get a mani/pedi.
Sorry, boys, you are about to hear a little bit about the wonderful world of manicures and pedicures. I promise it circles back to running. My normal nail salon was closed forcing me to go somewhere else. Being a creature of habit, this did not make me very happy! A few blocks aways I found a new salon and settled into my relaxing spa services. While having a back massage and getting a pedicure, I thought about running.
First, I thought about off days. Not the ones that are scheduled into your training calendar, but the ones where you cheat on your training program. That's right, I said CHEAT on your running. Being that creature of habit and thinking of myself as a more knowledgeable runner, I have forgotten what I learned when I first started running. I have forgotten that I need to listen to my body. No, I'm not injured or hurting, but I'm exhausted. Having a very busy schedule, I rush from place to place nonstop. (To make my point, once I left home for work yesterday at 6:30 a.m., I didn't see my house again until 10:30 p.m.!) I check my email on my phone because that's when I can make the time. I eat a lot of meals in the car. You get the point; I'm a busy girl!
When do I take time for myself? Anymore the answer is never. Training is more than, well, training. It's about taking care of yourself which is something I lost sight of. It's hard to have good runs when you are worn down. It's also hard to have good runs when you don't have anything to look forward to. For me, today, it was a manicure and pedicure. All day, I thought about how relaxing it was going to be to have that overdue mani/pedi that I used to do every month. It could be anything on any given day. The point is to continue to run well, I now remember that I have to have more than running in my life.
While at the salon, I also remembered that I am a four-day a week runner. No more. Hal Hidgon is the only program I've ever followed. I've looked at others, but the Hal Higdon Novice 1 program is the one that has always worked for me. This being my fourth year running and wanting to score a faster time, I decided, after much searching, to look for a new program. I chose Runner's World (which is a five day a week program). It's a great program, but I forgot something important. A program in a magazine is a great guideline, but individuals are involved and there needs to be differentiation. I know myself better than anyone. I know that I shouldn't run more than four days a week or my legs start to drag. I know that more cross-training is better for me than more running. However, I'm a rule follower and my new program said five days. I followed the rules. By doing this, I started to wear down early in my training. Lucky for me, however, I had an epiphany at the nail salon and can now fix this!
What's all this mean? Tomorrow, I will run. More importantly, I will be sporting pretty red nails while doing it. And, I am okay with cheating on my program to take a day for me.
Years ago I used Higdon for a guideline, but I don't run nearly as much as any of the plans recommend. My basic plan is 4 runs a week. Long run(Sat), recovery run(Sun), speed work(Tue), pace run(Thu). Sometimes it gets messed up because of other commitments but I don't worry about that. As a general rule don't cancel the speed work or the long run. Also very very important is core strength. You don't need any fancy equipment or expensive gym membership. Pushups, abs, squats. Takes maybe 10 or 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Throw in a few bike rides on off days or after a run.
ReplyDeleteNow about those meals in the car... if you want your car to run well you have to use the right fuel... the same is true with your body.