Logically I understand the physiological effects of being sick or tired and how it will dictate my hard workouts. I can verbally tell someone why a body would not perform as well and can externally acknowledge what's going on. Internally, I have failed and just can't seem to process the evidence through my itty bitty brain.
Workouts:
11/12: Michigan W/o: 2/u, 2 Miles Tempo, 1 Mile 5k, 2 Miles Tempo or MP, 800 5k, 2 Miles Tempo or MP, 400 as fast you can. While I was not spot on during this workout, I do have to give myself some slack as the only time for me to run hard or long, is at 4:30 a.m. with freezing temperatures and in the pitch black dark slipping and sliding. This does not make things easier on me.
11/13: Easy 8 Miles, p.m. Swim which was delightful with dinner at home instead of school!
11/14: A short steady, just getting the legs moving. I finished this, but fell ill later.
11/15: 8 Miles Easy and 4 Miles Easy
11/16: On Duty at school, so early morning 12 Miles and Bike
11/17: Skiing, Classic the 1A and 1B Loop on Rabbit Ears pass then lots of TV
11/19: Last w/o, 3 w/u, 2 x 1 Miles @5k and 2 x400 (Fast), 2c/d
Last week I came down with the most horrendous cold, sore throat, achey body, stuffed nose (where breathing wasn't allowed). I went as far to wake up Friday morning, start my core routine and then knock some sense into myself, wondering what the heck I was doing. I sheepishly climbed back into bed to fall asleep until 6:30. Glorious, right? Until you start feeling the residual mental effects of no working out the morning, wondering if you will be able to get any exercise in during the day, feeling slow and sluggish, wishing you had just carried through with the workout. I was able to quickly pull myself from these thoughts, knowing, nothing would come from this if I did not recover or get better. I made the executive decision not to move a muscle the rest of the day knowing full well that this would only enhance my fitness and then spent the rest of the day convincing myself of this. I did have an easier time relaxing and once I embraced no exercise, I really couldn't move. For the first time in a long while, it didn't matter that the apt. was messy, watching episode after episode of something was appealing, there was no guilt as I lay there helplessly on the couch doing nothing. Isn the end, I think my body finally got the message across. SLOW DOWN.
Another logical note: Consistency is key and thus far, I have been banging out these workout (whether I hit them or not) week after week and I think this a vital factor to gaining fitness. This morning, when I jumped on the treadmill (doom and gloom already) for my last workout before the Half this weekend and I begun my mile repeats at the appropriate pace and couldn't hit all of them exactly, I was frustrated, which is ok. But from there, I need to understand the previous factors to make sense of my run! Each workout is an absolute learning lesson and while it might hammer in the same lesson, according to this article the hammer method works (#2 and #3). http://on.wsj.com/16B9Gr9
We hear it all of the time, you won't gain fitness if you don't recover, you need sleep to be your strongest, your muscles need to rebuild themselves.... My rebuttals are, 'I am not working that hard' or 'other people are working harder than me so I don't need time off' or 'my easy days are like doing nothing.' At some point, I need to stop the debate and succeed to the pleads. I will consider Friday a success and a day I need to replicate more often to be the strongest I can be.
As said by "Life as an Athlete" John Underwood about sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment