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I started running about ten years ago. Up until very recently I had never purposely taken a break. I had been sidelined by injury, but I had never stopped training for any other reason. That changed after the Ventura Marathon in 2019.
I really had to listen to what my body was telling me. I couldn't make my paces in training. My body hurt. Recovery wasn't really happening. My heart rate was higher than usual. My grit and mental toughness seemed non-existent. I was over trained or at least getting dangerously close. Also, I didn't have any muscle. I made a conscious decision to stop training. I didn't stop running completely but almost. I took off two months and concentrated on building muscle. I loved going to the gym. It was so much fun. My body got much stronger. I made tremendous gains.
I've been training (running) again for about 9 weeks. It was really hard the beginning. It is still difficult because, I'm slower than I used to be. I know a lot of what is happening with my body is naturally what happens to an aging body. Part of my problem has been trying to train like I did when I was 40. I am now almost 50, but I was unwilling to adapt my training. I'm trying to be open to giving my body what it needs and to some extent accepting the inevitability of slower paces.
I am also just not being so rigid. Randomly running a marathon and then an ultra in close succession is not the best choice for the marathon training, but it was a great choice for my spirit. Spending as much time as I have been spending on the trail is not the best way to train for a road marathon, but it is what I love about running. Training doesn't have to be all work. Training is work, but if it is all grind, eventually it grinds you down.
If I'm going to run another 10 years, what running means to me has to change. In the past, it has been about accomplishment. Now, it really needs to be about passion. I don't think accomplishments are behind me, but PRs will one day really be behind me. I have probably already ran my fastest 5K. I'm never going to PR in a 5K again, does that mean I'm never going to enjoy a 5K? I may have run my fastest marathon too, and I sure as heck plan to run a lot more marathons.
My job right now is to find a way to train hard, but with my heart and passion and to do the running that I want to do for the joy of it.
Link up with KookyRunner and Zenaida
I totally agree. Training does not have to all work.
ReplyDeleteRunning should be fun. If yo enjoy racing, do it. If you enjoy trails, run them.
Glad you figured it all out and listened to her body and your heart.
Great advice!
DeleteAll of us get to this point with our running...if we are lucky enough to stick with it as we age. It is a tougher adjustment for some more than others. I had to let go of comparing myself to my fastest, fittest, younger self and remember that there is life and joy after PRs.
ReplyDeleteThe strength training will pay off big time!
Joy after PRs! Yesss!
DeleteIt sounds like a break was the right choice for you! And it makes so much sense to just focus on enjoying running. That's what its all about!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on it!
DeleteWhat Marcia said! I've struggled with slowing down--not physically, but mentally. My PR days are long gone. Now I have to make peace with where I'm at now. I'm enjoying exploring new ways of getting my run on--trails, new distances, different races. It's kind of fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying trying new things.
DeleteI think we all need a sabbatical now and then. If not from running exclusively, at least from hard-core training. Glad to see all these blog posts ;-) And a huge congrats (again) on those recent BIG races ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm going to try and focus more energy on the blog. Thank you for reading.
DeleteGoing back to running after 9 weeks is hard! I remember when I came back from my injury - running felt very difficult and strenous.
ReplyDeleteI always say if you don't enjoy running, take a break! It will rekindle the love for running.
I'm feeling a lot better both mentally and physically
DeleteI think the people who really struggle with running as they age are the ones that don't realize they have to change up what they're doing. You actually reminded me that I had a topic in mind to write about . . . I'm glad that that break helped you find your passion again!
ReplyDeletethat was exactly me!
DeleteSo glad to see that the break from running actually re-ignited your passion! Sometimes it's good to step away from something in order to miss it. Then when you return it's such a great feeling.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling better.
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ReplyDeleteSounds like you have made some smart decisions about your training and your running. I had a period last summer where I felt burnt out and not enjoying my runs. Switching to more biking and swimming for a few weeks helped
ReplyDeleteI've taken a break several times. There were times where I felt burned out and didn't enjoy running anymore. I hated the structure (pace, time, and distance). Once I felt better I started running again for fun.
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