Running Smart

It's amazing what a few days of rest can do for your health and training! A few days back I wrote about how burned out I was feeling. My trail run last Sunday was a disaster. I only went about 1.5 miles before I started getting the pain in my right calf muscle. In addition, I was feeling exhausted and really didn't want to run. So I stopped at the 1.5 mile mark and walked the rest of the way.

When I returned home I dug into the books and searched online sites so that I could learn more about how I was feeling. I was fatigued, wasn't sleeping well, I was irritable, and I had lost my enthusiasm about running. I was experiencing symptoms of overtraining. I also learned that the best way to counter overtraining is to stop training! So I decided to take a break until my symptoms subsided.

I haven't done a thing since my disaster run last Sunday. No running, no cross-training, no strength conditioning, just rest, rest, and more rest. I even stopped blogging (with the exception of my last weight loss report). Well, the good new is that all the symptoms have passed. I felt better yesterday but decided to give it one more day of rest before resuming my training. My run today was better than I've had in weeks! Here's a quick L-Five Trail Run Report.

Length: 3.44 miles, 43 minutes 

I went out a little earlier than usual today. I couldn't wait to get out on the trail. A cold front came through yesterday, so the temperature was in the high-70's, unusually low compared to the last couple of months (mid-90's during my runs). I decided I would run my normal loop and just take it nice and easy. However, I found that I had to force myself to SLOW down! My last few runs have been the exact opposite--I've had to push myself. Turns out that even after forcing myself to slow down I ran about 2 minutes per mile faster than I normally do. I can only imaging what I could have done if I let myself go. But I have learned the value of running smart (will expand on this below) and kept my trail run today in check. Here's a pic from the trail. Scroll down for the rest of the report.

A small creek along Northshore Trail. The creek is usually
dry this time of year. However, due to rains over the
last couple of days, water is flowing once again.

Limbs: Strong

My legs felt great. I could feel the difference immediately. I felt like I had a spring in my stride and they felt like they wanted to go faster and faster. As mentioned, I restrained myself to a nice easy jog so that I didn't injure or sap my energy on my first time back out. I had no issues with either calf muscle and my legs felt great by the time I returned to the Jeep. I felt like I could do the run again without a problem.

Lungs: Normal

Same as always... coughed for about the first mile and then they cleared. I know I am still recovering from quitting smoking.

Laughs: Excellent

I probably saw the biggest change in my mental state today. First, my enthusiasm has returned. When I woke today I couldn't wait to get out on the trail. I will repeat what I said earlier... one major difference I noticed today is that I had to consciously hold myself back. Once I started running I was having so much fun being back out on the trail that I was concerned I would overdue it again. So I decided to take it easy and to limit my distance so that I ease back into the running. Even now as I write this I want to get back out there. So my enthusiasm has definitely returned!

Learning: Running Smart!

The major lesson I have learned over the last couple of weeks is that I need to run smart. By running smart I am referring to listening to my body and making the adjustments needed to ensure I am training within my current capabilities and continuing to improve. I am now aware of some of the symptoms of overtraining and I realize that I am in it for the long run (pun intended). However, listening to my body isn't as easy as just deciding to do so. For now, I am still learning what my body is trying to tell me! For example, when I wrote about my long run a couple of weeks back I talked about the victory I won over my mind. I didn't want to run that day and instead of giving in, I pushed myself further than I was planning to go. In hindsight I believe this was the event that pushed me overboard and triggered the onset of overtraining syndrome. But at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was teaching my mind a lesson. My body was speaking loud and clear--I just didn't understand how to interpret the information.

I now realize that running smart by listening to my body isn't something I will master overnight, but instead, gaining the skill (and art) of interpreting information correctly is an ongoing process that I will have to develop over time, by trial and error. Just like everything else in this journey, if I stay at it, I know I will get there.

Thanks to everyone who has left comments here on my blog and on Twitter and Facebook. Your words are very encouraging and help to keep me motivated. That's it for now. Until next time, happy trails!!!