It happens to all of us runners; we start to feel really good about our training. We are going farther and faster than we have gone before and our confidence is soaring. We look forward to every run as an opportunity to do amazing things with our bodies that we not too long ago never thought we could do. Then it happens. We go out for a run, and it’s awful. You are having the hardest time keeping up with the speed that you are used to and what used to seem like easy mileage is now not so easy at all. You had a really bad run. It’s ok, we all have those days.
There are lots of reasons why your run was horrible. Maybe you have been working really hard at work, or maybe you haven’t been sleeping well. Maybe you haven’t been eating enough or as well as you used to. Whatever the reason, just remember this happens to everyone and don’t get discouraged. Don’t stop what you have started; tomorrow is a new day for a new run.
A lot of times when we start any exercise routine we can get so caught up in it that we go too hard for too long. We see gains and we feel the need to keep going faster and farther for the adrenaline rush. When we do that we neglect the fact that our bodies need downtime. Rest and recovery are just as, if not more important than the hard workouts. So if you have a couple of bad runs in a row, take a couple of days off and let your body rest.
Easy weeks are a great way to let your body recover but still do the training you enjoy. Easy weeks are something you should do every couple of weeks. When I say easy week, I don’t mean sit on the couch and watch Maury, I mean lower the intensity and the mileage for the week. Still enjoy some running but do it with the goal of rest and recovery in mind and not increasing or building fitness. These are great weeks to do more cross training.
On a side note, we are getting close to a very busy time of the year. I know that life can get in the way of your training sometimes and if you can’t get your workouts in you feel stressed thinking that you will lose fitness. Taking a couple of days off from running because of a busy work and family schedule is fine. It takes much longer than a couple of days or even a week to lose a noticeable level of fitness.
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