tonight marks the first time in my recent training plan that i consciously skipped a running workout, not due to injury. i just had no intention of running my 6-miler. i didn't even remotely come close to getting ready to run.
this week i have started to feel some pressure / nervousness about fitting in the M running plan and lifting weights, with regular life. new job stuff i think. i only lifted weights once this week and i feel poopy. the way i deal with stress, is to just do nothing. i get overwhelmed (if its lots of stress), and then i kind of well, do nothing. it takes a lot of energy for me to keep the routine going when i'm up to it in stress. bleah.
for much of september i am scheduled to be out of town (however i don't know the exact schedule, and won't right up until sept). that freaks me out. september is a very important month for my running! its the cumulative crescendo of all the hard work. so that has me freaked out. i knew this would happen. have i mentioned i'm freaked out?
i know what you are probably thinking: hey just bring your shoes and shorts and its all good. but the stress of working on the road, and the meetings, reports, the mental fatigue and the difficulty of proper nutrition is the part that i know will be a tremendous challenge and the make or break. now i sound like a pansy complainer but this is my blog.
if i get too injured, fine, i will deal with it and there will be nothing i can do. but assuming i'm healthy, nothing matters more to me this year than finishing this thing. so here i sit, staring out the window and at the computer, too stressed and feeling too crappy to put in the 6 miles.
i would rather not end this on a positive note but my neighborhood route, which i ran on tuesday and consists of pavement and sidewalks, yielded zero shin pain today (the day after). floppy.
this week i have started to feel some pressure / nervousness about fitting in the M running plan and lifting weights, with regular life. new job stuff i think. i only lifted weights once this week and i feel poopy. the way i deal with stress, is to just do nothing. i get overwhelmed (if its lots of stress), and then i kind of well, do nothing. it takes a lot of energy for me to keep the routine going when i'm up to it in stress. bleah.
for much of september i am scheduled to be out of town (however i don't know the exact schedule, and won't right up until sept). that freaks me out. september is a very important month for my running! its the cumulative crescendo of all the hard work. so that has me freaked out. i knew this would happen. have i mentioned i'm freaked out?
i know what you are probably thinking: hey just bring your shoes and shorts and its all good. but the stress of working on the road, and the meetings, reports, the mental fatigue and the difficulty of proper nutrition is the part that i know will be a tremendous challenge and the make or break. now i sound like a pansy complainer but this is my blog.
if i get too injured, fine, i will deal with it and there will be nothing i can do. but assuming i'm healthy, nothing matters more to me this year than finishing this thing. so here i sit, staring out the window and at the computer, too stressed and feeling too crappy to put in the 6 miles.
i would rather not end this on a positive note but my neighborhood route, which i ran on tuesday and consists of pavement and sidewalks, yielded zero shin pain today (the day after). floppy.
posted by brent at
11:08 PM
7 Comments:
I get that way from stress too sometimes, and it sucks because exercise is really the best way to deal with it!
By
M@rla, at 5:27 AM
What works for me... is to focus on what you can control, today. You don't really have much control over when, where and how long your Sept business trips are. So forget about them! They will come in due time. For now, focus on the moment, what can you do right now to continue on the path to your goals?
This is just pure speculation, since I've never run a marathon, but how many that have do you suppose are stressing about the finish line from the moment they start the race? My guess is, they focus on the pavement 2 feet in front of them and putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually, the goal will just work itself out...
Anyway, just me rambling. I wish I was in good enough shape that I could get you out there on the road against your will, cause I know you'd probably thank me afterwards. :-)
By
Shawn, at 8:40 AM
great wisdom from shawn, there.
from a logistical perspective, the impact of the business trips can be minimized by a couple things.
first off, diet. there ARE ways to watch what you eat while traveling. true, you're eating out all the time, but paying close attention to portion size and type of foods (think fresh fruit and veggies, high fiber carbs and lean protiens), you can manage the impact of restaurant food. watch the alcohol consumption, as that's a sure fire way to sink your training.
next, on a day by day basis, get creative with how you squeeze in your workouts. don't be afraid to try to squeeze it in the middle of the day, early morning or late at night. if you let your co-workers know that you're commited to the plan, more often than not they'll be accomodating and supportive.
last, and this will require a financial investment, pick up something that will track mileage for you. either the nike pod or some sort of gps. this will allow you to head out without scoping out areas and run your prescribed mileage. knowing that the device is going to be your guide will really take the stress out of "how am i going to find a four mile route"?
and if worst comes to worst, you can always be like alison and run in the airport.
good luck, brent!
By
Unknown, at 9:34 AM
Just my 2 cents, Brent (*if* that's your real name!!) but you don't need to worry about September. If you just do your trainings now, when September rolls in, you won't want to give up your training schedule ~ come hell or high water ~ because you've put so much effort into in July and August. But, if you blow it off *now*, just *wondering* about September, then you're guaranteed that come September, it won't matter if you keep up your training or not and then it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Am I making any sense? It's hard for me to tell. Go run. If you don't feel like it, would you please go run anyway, as I would *love* to run, but can't. That way the universe will be balanced again!
xoxo
Mia
By
Mia Goddess, at 10:46 AM
Shawn's advice is my favorite. So, I'll just second that and leave it there. Oh, and breath. ;)
By
Syd, at 11:58 AM
"but the stress of working on the road, and the meetings, reports, the mental fatigue" The best cure for all that is just to get away and run. When training for my 1st half we went away. I worried in a similar fashion. I worked my runs in by having hubby drop me off a number of kms away from hotel and running back while he drove back.
By
Dawn - Pink Chick Tris, at 1:34 PM
you want this race bad enough so you will find ways to squeeze it in or work around it. i was freaky around christmastime last year b/c I was traveling for 2 weeks, eating all kinds of holiday food and my first half marathon was on Jan. 11th. I didn't run over Christmas, I ate way too much food, and I still ran the race just fine. You'll do it too :)
By
Tiggs, at 4:26 PM
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