wicked timing as I'm currently in the middle of a 'dark january'; a first for me. It seems the turn of the year has put me in a somewhat lethargic mood regarding the miles (or "k's", in my 'k's' :o)) I've always been partial to colder, wetter conditions, and this winter so far has been on par, so that's not the issue. For me it'd usually be a matter of #shutuplegs but for spells like this one, I'd really like my brain to just #zipittoripit
Anyway, great to get a couple ideas on how to stay motivated. My own fav trick has always been to simply run somewhere I haven't been before, and that's in play this time too; there's always a pathway juuust a little further away, it seems, to go visit :)
OK, this was a helpful post that I will keep in mind when I do get to ramping up my running again. But, as a fellow "weekend" AT hiker, I always come off the trail and find the closest fast food place. Something about that kind of food feels really good after a long and intense hike. Also, my brother, who is a modern dancer, used to always argue the merits of the egg and cheese and he is not wrong.
Haha, your brother is *definitely* not wrong. My favorite thing after a big day is to hit up a Jersey diner (when I'm in Jersey) and load up on hash browns and eggs and whatever else. Food is so personal, whatever works for you I'm in favor of.
Sleep is so incredibly underrated and so incredibly important. I can be on fresh legs, well fueled, hydrated and rested but if I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep for more than two days, I may as well call it in. As I get older, the more I find that sleep affects me. As a graduate student in my 20s I was lucky to get more than 3 hours a night and managed to do rather well, but that was nearly 20 years ago and life is much different now. I hope the combination of recovery methods you have, as well as your hard and easy runs can help you manage your way through these tough times.
I am extra grateful for the post this week because I am currently in the midst of a forced recovery period that began this morning and will continue until my (damn) back feels better. I’ve been pushing it lately and feeling awesome. Responsible pushing though - never more than 10% week over week mileage increases. My diet has been good and my sleep has been more than adequate. What happened this morning has actually happened before but it has been a while and definitely hasn’t recurred since my recent weight loss.
I thought I was bulletproof until I went to sit down in my car to go to work. That was all it took. I sat down wrong and perpetrated another in an agonizing series of “tweaks.” It isn’t nearly as bad as some past injuries, but it is enough that I am uncomfortable regardless of my body position. As usual, I am spiraling about all the exercise I won’t be able to do tonight and in the coming days. Since it isn’t one of the all-consuming backaches I have had in the past I am endeavoring to remain upbeat and positive and look at the next few days as a recovery as opposed to purgatory. But that is cold comfort - mostly because I am not being allowed the choice.
I can only assume that my body has chosen for me. This will be stepback week in more ways than one, as my legs recover and my (damn) back rehabs. I plan to use the opportunity to generate a better caloric deficit than I’ve been able to maintain since running became a 25+ mile per week (30.6 miles last week) pursuit. The post-run hunger has been very real lately and resisting temptation to overeat has been difficult on the best days. I’ve spent years rewarding hard work with food and it has created a Pavlovian response to great workouts that is proving to be harder to shake than I’d hoped. Anyway, I am alive and in otherwise good health and I did have a great week - I will take the win and hope everyone else is feeling better than me right now!
Joe, that sounds *exactly* like what happened to my back several years ago. I had the great fortune of meeting up with a massage therapist who did wonders. First thing I'm doing after COVID is making an appt to see him. Hang in there, I know it's tough. Your fitness will be there and your resilience will only get stronger.
Not sure whether your neck of the woods is bike-friendly, but have you considered getting on a bike, Joe? I recently got my hands on a used road bike which handlebar is high enough that I can sit up pretty straight, and it has been a life-changer for me. I ride around town, move around a bit, get some vitamin D, and often check out parks and trails that I haven't run in.
Thank you so much for the reply, Hoon. I do own a bike and I absolutely should use it more often. I've been single-minded about running since it's been winter and I am often doing my workouts in the dark. Once the seasons change I hope to tune the old thing up and really chew up the miles!
conscious recovery plan does not currently exist in my running tool belt. i just thank my parents every day for giving me strong joints and ligaments.
one thing that l accidentally fell into is making the easy day REALLY easy. there was one day when i was feeling really worn out but still decided to head out. i don't know why i picked a heavily-trafficked city park loop that day, but i think my logic, then, was "it's an easy route that i will have no issues with, even on my worst day, so let's do that."
boy oh boy... was i being too optimistic. i was *this* close to bonking, and i still had a couple miles left. maybe it was my survival instinct kicking in; i just decided to slow myself way down and just focus on finishing the route. i started then counting how many were running past me... and like counting sheep, it put me back in the proper headspace to finish the run.
after that, for "recovery," i've started incorporating this "how many runners will pass me today" run every week.
I've been telling myself I inherited strong joints and ligaments, but maybe I'm just young enough to not really feel it yet. But I'm with you - recovery plan is pretty much non existent. I do a lot of walking, which I imagine helps but have nothing to justify that idea.
so good to read your family's on the road to stability! my first broken arm was because I ran into a (lightly padded) wall at full speed, so at least your son has the cool-story factor going for him.
for me, this came at the perfect time. I've been steadily cranking up the miles and climbs for the past couple months now, and while I love the feeling of accomplishment, I can also feel burnout creeping in. my achilles is acting up, a knee feels a little wobbly and I spent my sunday run just waiting for it to be over.
so I'm forcing myself to take a full week of recovery: lots of stretching, lots of extra sleep and a fresh half-marathon plan waiting at the end (1:45, I'm coming for you). and after reading your note on meditation, I'm thinking I'll give that a shot, too.
wicked timing as I'm currently in the middle of a 'dark january'; a first for me. It seems the turn of the year has put me in a somewhat lethargic mood regarding the miles (or "k's", in my 'k's' :o)) I've always been partial to colder, wetter conditions, and this winter so far has been on par, so that's not the issue. For me it'd usually be a matter of #shutuplegs but for spells like this one, I'd really like my brain to just #zipittoripit
Anyway, great to get a couple ideas on how to stay motivated. My own fav trick has always been to simply run somewhere I haven't been before, and that's in play this time too; there's always a pathway juuust a little further away, it seems, to go visit :)
Love the approach of going somewhere new. I've been sticking close to home, miss that sense of adventure.
OK, this was a helpful post that I will keep in mind when I do get to ramping up my running again. But, as a fellow "weekend" AT hiker, I always come off the trail and find the closest fast food place. Something about that kind of food feels really good after a long and intense hike. Also, my brother, who is a modern dancer, used to always argue the merits of the egg and cheese and he is not wrong.
Haha, your brother is *definitely* not wrong. My favorite thing after a big day is to hit up a Jersey diner (when I'm in Jersey) and load up on hash browns and eggs and whatever else. Food is so personal, whatever works for you I'm in favor of.
We love New Jersey diners!
Sleep is so incredibly underrated and so incredibly important. I can be on fresh legs, well fueled, hydrated and rested but if I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep for more than two days, I may as well call it in. As I get older, the more I find that sleep affects me. As a graduate student in my 20s I was lucky to get more than 3 hours a night and managed to do rather well, but that was nearly 20 years ago and life is much different now. I hope the combination of recovery methods you have, as well as your hard and easy runs can help you manage your way through these tough times.
Thanks Tracey. The sleep thing hits you all at once, like whoa.
I am extra grateful for the post this week because I am currently in the midst of a forced recovery period that began this morning and will continue until my (damn) back feels better. I’ve been pushing it lately and feeling awesome. Responsible pushing though - never more than 10% week over week mileage increases. My diet has been good and my sleep has been more than adequate. What happened this morning has actually happened before but it has been a while and definitely hasn’t recurred since my recent weight loss.
I thought I was bulletproof until I went to sit down in my car to go to work. That was all it took. I sat down wrong and perpetrated another in an agonizing series of “tweaks.” It isn’t nearly as bad as some past injuries, but it is enough that I am uncomfortable regardless of my body position. As usual, I am spiraling about all the exercise I won’t be able to do tonight and in the coming days. Since it isn’t one of the all-consuming backaches I have had in the past I am endeavoring to remain upbeat and positive and look at the next few days as a recovery as opposed to purgatory. But that is cold comfort - mostly because I am not being allowed the choice.
I can only assume that my body has chosen for me. This will be stepback week in more ways than one, as my legs recover and my (damn) back rehabs. I plan to use the opportunity to generate a better caloric deficit than I’ve been able to maintain since running became a 25+ mile per week (30.6 miles last week) pursuit. The post-run hunger has been very real lately and resisting temptation to overeat has been difficult on the best days. I’ve spent years rewarding hard work with food and it has created a Pavlovian response to great workouts that is proving to be harder to shake than I’d hoped. Anyway, I am alive and in otherwise good health and I did have a great week - I will take the win and hope everyone else is feeling better than me right now!
Joe, that sounds *exactly* like what happened to my back several years ago. I had the great fortune of meeting up with a massage therapist who did wonders. First thing I'm doing after COVID is making an appt to see him. Hang in there, I know it's tough. Your fitness will be there and your resilience will only get stronger.
Not sure whether your neck of the woods is bike-friendly, but have you considered getting on a bike, Joe? I recently got my hands on a used road bike which handlebar is high enough that I can sit up pretty straight, and it has been a life-changer for me. I ride around town, move around a bit, get some vitamin D, and often check out parks and trails that I haven't run in.
Thank you so much for the reply, Hoon. I do own a bike and I absolutely should use it more often. I've been single-minded about running since it's been winter and I am often doing my workouts in the dark. Once the seasons change I hope to tune the old thing up and really chew up the miles!
conscious recovery plan does not currently exist in my running tool belt. i just thank my parents every day for giving me strong joints and ligaments.
one thing that l accidentally fell into is making the easy day REALLY easy. there was one day when i was feeling really worn out but still decided to head out. i don't know why i picked a heavily-trafficked city park loop that day, but i think my logic, then, was "it's an easy route that i will have no issues with, even on my worst day, so let's do that."
boy oh boy... was i being too optimistic. i was *this* close to bonking, and i still had a couple miles left. maybe it was my survival instinct kicking in; i just decided to slow myself way down and just focus on finishing the route. i started then counting how many were running past me... and like counting sheep, it put me back in the proper headspace to finish the run.
after that, for "recovery," i've started incorporating this "how many runners will pass me today" run every week.
I've been telling myself I inherited strong joints and ligaments, but maybe I'm just young enough to not really feel it yet. But I'm with you - recovery plan is pretty much non existent. I do a lot of walking, which I imagine helps but have nothing to justify that idea.
Enjoy that youth! Walking is great. Super beneficial for recovery.
Walking is great! Often on my easy run days, i stop at a coffee shop, grab a fresh, steaming hot cup of coffee, and then walk home.
that's a good one. I definitely had some pride/ego thing I had to work out with running slow. Now I take pride in not caring.
so good to read your family's on the road to stability! my first broken arm was because I ran into a (lightly padded) wall at full speed, so at least your son has the cool-story factor going for him.
for me, this came at the perfect time. I've been steadily cranking up the miles and climbs for the past couple months now, and while I love the feeling of accomplishment, I can also feel burnout creeping in. my achilles is acting up, a knee feels a little wobbly and I spent my sunday run just waiting for it to be over.
so I'm forcing myself to take a full week of recovery: lots of stretching, lots of extra sleep and a fresh half-marathon plan waiting at the end (1:45, I'm coming for you). and after reading your note on meditation, I'm thinking I'll give that a shot, too.
That's great that you're being proactive. I'm going to offer some meditation suggestions in Friday's newsletter.