What better time to return to Trotting Tortoise post-running lapse than after reading a WSJ article that my dad e-mailed to me: The Secret to Running: Not Running?
The brief article is about Bernard Lagat, American Olympian, who reportedly take several consecutive weeks off from training each year to allow his body to rest. My respite has been less intentional than Lagat's, more driven by my unfortunate work hours on my new work project that has me spending the week in Boston. I spent the first several weeks of June and July working around the clock, day in, day out. There was little time to sleep, much less work out.
I know some people will read this and think, "you're exagerating and if you really wanted to work out you'd make it happen," but I do feel that getting far less than 8 hours a night all week long because of work demands leaves you in a place where sleep trumps working out in the remaining hours of the day. That is, unless you're one of those people who runs on about 4 hours a day and in that case - I don't know how you do it / think you're crazy.
But, my recent lack of exercise is just unacceptable. Now that things have calmed to closer to 12 hour workdays, I'm vowing to work out at least one day a week at the hotel and 2-3 days over the weekend - even if it means going against the grain with my superiors and making myself team outcast. Hold me to it!
On the plus side of this all, maybe my dad and the author of the article above are right about the Secret of Running - the very few times I've managed to work out recently my runs [although VERY short] have been sub 10 minute miles - hooray! So here's to getting back to working out and keeping track right here on Trotting Tortoise - wish me luck!
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I have to say, I always make sure in each training cycle I take a good consecutive few days off. even if it is for five days or more. helps me get back in training mode and come back even stronger. i agree, sleep and balance is most important
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that article! I saw that Lagat took second to Centrowitz in that race--not bad for an older runner (and certainly heartening to me since I'm 2 years older than Lagat).
ReplyDeleteI am with you. Sleep is so important. You'll run better now that you have (sort of) time for both.
Glad you liked it - I think we all forget how important rest is sometimes!
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