I didn't realize it has been quite so long since my last post. Generally speaking, things have been progressing well, so little reason to belabor the same thing over and over. And as planning and logistics for the upcoming fall marathons have not yet kicked into high gear, there's nothing to write about on that score either.
Today was a hard day, though. I woke up with a headache that got progressively worse throughout the day, save for a brief respite from one dose of Tylenol that I took in the morning. It was bad enough that I decided to lie down for a while after I got home from work. To run or not to run? Tonight was scheduled to be a really hard S.O.S. day: 1 mile easy (@7:55), 6 x 1 mile @ 6:20 (3 min walk in between each), .5 mile easy (@7:55). How would my body react to doing any running, let alone something this strenuous?
Well, I forced myself to change and get a move-on to the gym. However, despite getting onto the treadmill, I knew that the first mile at an easy pace would tell the tale of whether or not I should run or skip tonight's workout. While there are *some* times when pushing through the pain is an appropriate call, you have to know your body well enough to know when doing so would actually be detrimental and more harmful long-term. Thankfully, tonight's run went swimmingly (though difficultly). The headache slowly lightened throughout the run (maybe because of the burning in my quads distracting me??). Now that I'm finished and back home eating dinner, my headache has returned. Time to take some more Tylenol shortly before bed so it can kick in in time to let me go to sleep.
Be mindful of your body and how it is reacting to everything you do. It takes practice to know when to push on and when the better part of valor is to hold back or skip a workout.
