Resting

There has been plenty written about the post-race slump; it is a major downer and if not checked, it can linger and drag down everything in its path.  Having only trained for one “mega race”, I tend to think of it as something resembling Gollum that sits on your shoulder/lurks behind you and questions every decision that you make.  Should you really be thinking about running when your legs feel shot?  Should you really be considering that yoga class when your hamstrings feel three inches long?  Planning another marathon this year?  Are you CRAZY?  And so on…..and so on…..

Whilst I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t continue training after a race – whether that’s a 5k or a marathon – it is sensible to take a bit of time to work out your next goal.  I wanted to run the marathon to put my body to the ultimate test (I’m ignoring the more extreme “ultra” variety of events right now) and to see how I’d cope by myself through some fairly dark times – both in the race and through training.  And it all came out fine – I’m happy with my result, but now I want to go that little bit faster….and as I’ve previously said, I know I could have trained harder, and my next goal is to follow a “proper” 18 week training plan, mix it up a bit and see what happens *shakes hands with Mr Hal Higdon* so I signed up for Dublin, and in the meantime, signed up to whole host of other events to keep me training without killing the run-lust.

I worked out my training schedule pre-Barcelona and aimed to give myself a fortnight off.  I planned a fairly packed weekly plan comprising of swimming, running, cycling and yoga – heavy on the swimming and running, light on the cycling, with a weekly yoga class to keep the muscles working.  I was supposed to start last week but after RDC West on Monday, I just felt f-l-a-t and HUGELY tired.  I have been feeing that bone-aching tiredness that I KNOW is mainly caused because of lack of sleep and panics.  Lack of sleep because I am no longer as tired as I was because the training has (obviously) eased off and panics that I’m not training hard enough.  *hello vicious circle*

I have never done a triathlon before.  I have never done an open water swim before.  Both of these are coming up within the next six weeks.  Instead of buckling down to train and feeling fresh and invigorated after the marathon, I have spent the last fortnight feeling guilty that I’m not training, and, at the time, feeling shattered.  Joy.  I planned early morning swims to realise that I really wasn’t sure how long everything would take and whether I’d be late for work, and planned runs and then pulling up when my legs just. weren’t. ready.  I lamented the fact that the events were drawing near and I wouldn’t be ready and I’d drown/fall off my bike/fall over and forget how to run….*falls onto the floor in an hysterical heap*. 

And then I got a grip….

So what have I learnt?  GIVE YOURSELF TIME.  Running a marathon – or any race where you’ve been dedicated to putting in the hours for week beforehand – takes more out of you than you realised, or would like to admit, and resting for a few weeks before launching into another round of training (especially for a “new” sport) takes time.  Rest isn’t the enemy, it allows your body to recover so you can fight another day, so stop feeling guilty about snoozing instead of leaping out of bed at 6am and realise that those times will come again – you WILL run another race and follow another training plan – but doing so when you feel less than average will cause you injury and put a stop to everything. 

So enjoy the rest and allow your body to use the time to get ready for the next round.  Rest easy and train hard: no one said this would be a walk in the park…..