Permission to Adjust

Give yourself credit for the work you did and permission to be flexible

Jan 19, 2024

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns - and even when we can somewhat account for some of them - we still have to make on-the-fly adjustments to our training.

In this edition of the TrainwithMarc newsletter, I'm going to dive into what strategies you can employ so you can feel empowered enough to make the changes necessary to your training program and still feel accomplished.

Whether it's a night of terrible sleep or a snowy ice storm that blasts your neighborhood, training can sometimes feel impossible with all of our obligations. Being flexible is key to sustained progress because as you know, something will always come up.

green plant beside white desk — Photo by Johnson Wang on Unsplash

The true measure of how well you do during races is not only just about the miles you run, but how you can be resilient when training doesn't go right. What you do in those moments can often matter more than any cluster of runs you have that went right.

So let's lace up and dig ourselves out of the snowstorm. We'll tackle these miles together.

Adjustment # 1: Always running outside

One of the biggest life philosophies I've always had was that I was tough enough to run outdoors. No matter the time of day or the weather, I was going to run outside. There had been times when I ran inside because I had the availability to, but 99.9% of my runs were outdoors.

Hell, I might have been more bundled than those stupid State Farm commercials, but I was going outside and I was gonna run.

I am no longer that person.

I still run outside - even when it’s cold out - but now that we belong to Lifetime I have the option to do a few runs inside. They aren’t liberating or freeing, but they are runs. And they’re getting done.

Adjustment # 2: A run had to be at least 20 minutes long

Those days are long-freaking-gone. There are days that I get 25 minutes to run before I have to pick up the kids or be home before a kid needs to be somewhere and I spend 6 of them tying my shoes and looking for a podcast to listen to. That leaves me with barely enough time to get out of my neighborhood...

I'm a believer in “something is better than nothing”, so that short run is still worth it, even though it's more than likely that I won't even need a shower after it.

Adjustment # 3: Cross-training is inevitable

When we're injured, no one wants to cross train. We only want to be running. But when we're running, we can easily justify that one day a week as cross training isn't that bad because we know that the next day we can be running again.

I've found that mixing running 5 days a week with a day off and a day of swimming and being on the elliptical is a good recipe that works for me.

Obviously, as I get fitter, I can drop that day of cross training, but for now, while I'm getting in shape, it's a good way to get in cardio without the pounding.

My muscles and my brain are quite enjoying logging swim miles - something that is very foreign to this runner.

Adjustment # 4: The treadmill isn't that bad

Would I prefer to run outside? Yes, of course. But now that I have access to a treadmill, I don't feel like I have to run outside if I don't have to.

The treadmills that I can use have the functionality to input workouts - so now I don't just have treadmills for easy days, but now I can also get quality workouts in without having to manually adjust the paces while I'm doing the workout.

Is it perfect? No. But it's a viable option for workout days that have Real Feels as old as my middle school students.

Are you ready to take your fitness journey to the next level? Do you want a copy of the 2024 training log? Get Your Copy Now!

🌟 Limited-time offer: Use code Pelly24 for an exclusive $15 training log.

📩 Still have questions or are ready for your training log? Reply to this email, and I'll be happy to assist you.

What I’m Exploring

What’s next for TrainwithMarc? Hopefully global domination. But if not, then I’ll “settle” for coaching more runners.

With the help of Bridget, she told me about Garmin Clipboard. This arm of Garmin allows me to create (running) workouts and sync them to your watch for you to do the workout. Workouts can be simple (tempo run) or elaborate (mixing paces and recoveries). I’ve pushed this out to a few of my runners already and as we move into 2024, I’m hopeful that I’ll add it as a service that I offer.

Want to try it out? Send me a message or email and I will get you started.

Share the post with your friends and family and comment below with any tips that have helped you keep a training log.

Thank you for reading and sharing. It’s great to hear the feedback from so many people - keep it coming!

Friday’s Action Plan

It is okay to be kind to yourself, especially during the winter months when the weather is unpredictable and the hours of sunlight are short and fleeting.

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