On the Road to Recovery

 

Well these days I’ve been taking it easy, and it’s come at a perfect time. Work has been hectic, and I’ve needed those extra hours of sleep versus getting up to run. Sometimes in my training I get stressed or anxious about getting up the next day to do a training run. Well…with my leg still healing, I don’t have to worry about that at all. This week I’ve been walking at a brisk pace and I think that’s going to be the plan as I continue to heal.

Many thanks to my close friends and fellow runners and athletes who have given me some pretty sound advice when it came to giving myself enough time to heal. I’ve been listening to all of the feedback, which has informed the following decision:

I will not be running in the 10k I had planned for next weekend, and will instead continue to walk and slowly ease my way back into jogging.

You don’t know how hard it is for me to say that. For one, I’m never one to quit or back out of something. But realistically speaking, I have two longer races coming up in early December that I want to be fresh for. This 10k was kinda special to me since it was the 1st 10k I ever ran and I wanted to return and run it this year and beat my time. Now, of course I know I far surpass the pace I kept for that race, but the runnerd in me wants to records to show it. That’s ok…next year.

Since I won’t be doing that run, I’m opting to do the SOME Turkey Trot this year with my sister. It’s kinda cool since she’s not a runner, and admittedly she was a little hesitant when I mentioned the idea to her…but she’s game. It’d be a nice intro to running for her and a nice little return to running for me. I figure we’ll walk some jog some, which will be good for us both. I’m kinda excited about being able to share my love of running with my sis. Who knows? She might like it 😀

Oh, and since we’re on the topic of recovery…take a look at these articles and little tidbits about training:

7 Ways to Avoid Overtraining – good article…I will say that I do a decent job at respecting my rest days and doing my cross training. I need to do a better job of making sure I get enough sleep and pay more attention to the other areas mentioned as well.

5 Key Stretches for Runners – admittedly, I don’t do a whole lot of pre-run stretches, though I do try to get in my post-run stretches

Dynamic Stretching Warm Up – I’m a big fan of dynamic stretches and movements that really require a good amount of motion. I want to begin trying this routine when I hit the road.

Till next time!  🙂