Listen to the Warning Signs
Your body will tell you what you need to hear
I've had a goal of running 100 miles every month in 2021.
Pretty lofty considering these are some of my yearly totals:
2019 709.02
2018 469.52
2017 487.05
2016 552.40
But here we are, May 2021 and I'm on the cusp of not achieving one of the 2 goals I set out to accomplish this year (the other is break 5 in the mile and I've done that already.
I had a really strong early 2021 and with a short running break between training cycles, I'm now behind on monthly miles. I know that in the long run it doesn't matter one bit, but a goal is a goal and it should be a bit tough to accomplish to make it worth it.
On Sunday, I planned on knocking out a bunch of those miles I was down, but after 4 miles, I got a pretty sharp pain in my knee. After a few minutes of stretching, I was back to running, but the pain was enough to make me cut the run short AND most importantly, see what the heck was going on. Â
Turns out, after not filling in my training log for a few days, I let slip the number of miles my shoes had on them. Approaching 400 miles on a pair of shoes is a recipe for things to fall apart and I was quickly approaching that magic number.
With a quick stop to the running store and a fresh (bright) new pair of shoes, the pain has subsided enough to allow me to continue running.
It obviously could have been worse. Had I plugged away at more miles on Sunday. Had I not done a quick check back to my training log. Had I not listened to what my body was telling me, I could very well be on the sidelines with a lingering, nagging knee/tendon problem for weeks on end. Â
Friday’s Action Plan:
Truly, it pays to listen and take action on the signals your body is telling you. Without it, we end up on the injured list wondering what happened.Â
What’s Got My Attention:Â
Article: How to Make This Year’s Olympic Team
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Quote of the Day:
Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up. - Amby Burfoot
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Marc is a middle school teacher and coach but also works with distance runners online. I help distance runners around the globe by providing support, writing customized training plans, and designing workouts to help them reach their racing goals. I write for my blog every Wednesday morning and newsletter every Friday morning.