The weather has taken a turn around here. It's raining like it's January, but muggy like we're Florida. I'm sore and recovering from my race on Saturday and this weather is not helping as it is only making more sleepy. Instead of working I want to curl up with a blanket, some hot chocolate, a fire in the fireplace and a good movie. Then a nap, yeah...that sounds like bliss to me. But I digress.
Along the lines of the race on Saturday, which I will recap soon, I've noticed that the more mileage I pick up, the more I am sore and take longer to recover. Is it because I'm not fueling properly? Am I not stretching or foam rolling enough? Am I not prepping my body enough for the longer more grueling runs? What is it?
When I found this quote, I thought to myself, maybe it was a combination of all those factors, or maybe there was no correlation at all.
I do think there is some truth to this quote. I don't think you should run until you are literally in pain or run through pain. I know that our bodies fatigue at different points and times and that fatigue and pain that we experience from pushing our bodies further than we have gone before is an important step. It reminds us that we can push a little more, we can get a little further, we can go a little faster and we can get to that next level we may have been working towards. The body is amazing and can do amazing things if you work for it.
I know that I need to work and work hard the next couple of months until my next half marathon in August. My performance yesterday was not at all how I wanted things to go and I just wasn't happy with how I did. There are a couple of issues I can attribute my performance to, but all in all, the blame is on me and my consistency in training. I need to be more consistent and know that I need to keep running and training because I have goals to attain and because running is good for me in so many ways.
Now it's your turn: Do you train and push past fatigue and pain in your runs, or do you let that be a marker for you to stop?
Hmmm...I push. I don't think I push through actual PAIN, I push through discomfort and soreness. I have learned to try and pay attention to the difference because I do not want to get injured again. I hope your soreness fades quickly today! I am looking forward to the recap even if it wasn't what you wanted it to be, you got it done! Oh and send some of the rain my way, I could use a rainy-pj-day! ;)
ReplyDeleteYES! Good way to separate the two. I was thinking more discomfort than pain, but it escaped me when I was writing this. That is good that you pay attention to the difference. Pain is bad, discomfort is not so bad. :)
DeleteI will definitely try to send you some rain! LOVE rainy-pj-days!!!
Oh, you guys are having to same weather as we are here! Yuck!! Muggy, rainy and humid!
ReplyDeleteI do push past the pain and fatigue as much as I can, but I do not want to become re-injured, so I try to listen to my body. I think there is a very fine line between pushing yourself into injury and just pushing to become better. I'm not always clear where that line is though, so if I push it too hard, I am always gentle with myself and give myself a rest day or two or three!! :)
Exactly! YUCKY weather!!
DeleteGood to see that you also try to ride that fine line between discomfort and pain when training. It is a VERY fine line and so easy to cross without knowing it. Trying to stay injury free while training is key.
I think your weather is traveling south to me! We have weird rainy, yet muggy weather. Not fun for the first few days of summer!
ReplyDeleteI tend to push through discomfort. i think it's my body not quite getting on track with what my brain wants to do. If it's sharp pain or something that I can't run through, I'll stop. I do end up paying for it later- I tend to be more sore than other runs.
I do find that when I increase my mileage a lot, it takes me longer to recover. I don't know exactly why, but I find if I don't eat more to compensate, I'm tired for much longer, if that makes sense.
Can't wait to hear about your RnR race! :)
My weather is about to turn crazy, it's going to be in the 90's this weekend!?! Crazy!
DeleteSharp pain is bad, discomfort is better, good you know which to push through and which not to. Some people don't, or just don't listen.
I agree though that longer runs do take longer to recover from, but I would assume that the more you run the longer distances, the more your body gets used to it and recovery gets shorter?