Week 4 didn’t quite go as I had hoped or planned but this is where remaining flexible was going to play a part.
On Wednesday, the plan called for 4 to 6 miles but my body was aiming for zero. That morning I woke up fatigued and with a headache, and I knew my run wasn’t going to happen. I opted for some light strength training instead, but neither my mind nor my body was into it. In most cases, something is better than nothing but I could’ve easily gone without anything.
There are going to be moments when I’ll need to give myself a little gentle nudge to get my training in especially when I don’t feel like it, but that will most likely stem from feeling unmotivated to deal with the heat and humidity. They aren’t the most pleasant conditions to run in. At least not for me. So yeah there will be times when I’ll struggle to get going, but I’ll get there.
However, I’m not about to push my body when it’s clearly not in a place where it wants to be pushed. What good will that do?
Maybe a short easy run that day would’ve helped or maybe I would’ve felt worse. All I knew was I was tired and my eyes hurt and the last thing I wanted to do was put on my running shoes.
While I’m trying not to hold onto any rigid rules surrounding the plan, I was beginning to feel a little disappointed because I want to do the best that I can during this training cycle. But then I eased up on myself and I changed my perspective: I got in 3 days of quality running, 15 miles, and I’ll consider it a cutback week! And how could I be disappointed in that?
I know there will be weeks where scheduling and how my body feels won’t match up and it’s a matter of discerning what will benefit me the most: rest or run?
Missing a training day here and there won’t hurt my overall training. It may actually help. What matters most is listening to my body, being consistent, and getting up the next day and trying again. The rest will take care of itself.
P.S.
On Friday, the Marine Corps Marathon shared the race is in 100 days and whenever a race announces we are 100 days away, there is a twinge of panic that sets in. Picture Kermit the Frog flailing his arms and screaming and that’s how I feel when I hear 100 days. Okay take a deep breath…in fact, take a few deep breaths. We have time.