Last week I made a decision I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make in the past. Thursday morning, I woke up, went for my aqua jog, reduced it because I felt tired and didn’t want to hinder my session that evening, then went back to bed. I napped, something which is usually unheard of when it comes to me. I napped for over 4 hours with the hope that when I woke up I would feel better. However, when I woke up I felt no better than I did before. I hoped that I just felt lethargic; that having spent the entire day in bed I needed to get some fresh air and I would feel fine after. I left for my session, having prewarned my coach I did not feel 100%. I set off on my warm up, convinced I felt a lot better than I had all day. The session was a big one, and inside I knew I was not in the right state to be able to complete it to my usual standard. I set off on the first rep, and after 30 seconds I pulled out. My legs had that virally ache to them. Not the ache associated with working hard, but that jarring ache that covers every inch of your body. I had suggested to my coach, if I didn’t feel good on the session I would go and do an easy run, but she said to me to go home and rest if that was the case. I feel proud of myself that I was able to make the mature decision to stop and not do my session. My body was telling me it needed to rest and was fighting itself without even doing any running. Prior to my injury I would’ve endured every session no matter how I felt, but I knew if I continued I would be fighting whatever was telling me to stop for the next week. I would’ve constantly fought against myself and my body even when it needed a break, something that is not mentality conductive for a strong and resistant runner. By deciding to stop, I was able to return home and get a good night sleep, meaning when I woke up Friday morning I felt 100 times better.
Sometimes we just need to listen to our body. We can’t constantly fight ourselves when our body doesn’t feel up to doing what we want it to. We have to work with ourselves in order to avoid doing ourselves any unnecessary harm. I may not have done myself any severe harm had I done my session, but it would not have been of the quality I wanted, and it may not have boded well for the future. The fact I was able to make a sensible decision shows I am no longer irrational when it comes to running. I care about my future as an athlete and in order to stay injury free and healthy, I have to make the right decisions for my body and mentality. It’s not always about getting in all the miles, and every session, irregardless of how you feel. If your body is telling you to stop... STOP! Listen to what your body is saying, as it is usually right!
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Hannah IrwinI love to run and I love to write, so I write about running! Archives
March 2023
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