Lesson Learned

I had the best of intentions yesterday…I really did. I went for what seemed to be an easy two mile walk before my training session with Jeff and then I went again after we were done for another two miles. I drank water and unsweetened iced tea and thought I was adequately hydrated and when I told Jeff I wanted to go for a second walk, he said go for it. I didn’t exactly go for it with the pace as it was hotter out at 10:30 than it had been at 8 and I really didn’t feel the effects of that walk or both of the walks…that is, until this morning. I had a headache this morning and some GI issues and I shared this in a text with Jeff since we were scheduled to meet up for a run at 11:30. I made sure to drink 24 ounces of water and I took some Motrin for the headache and within an hour and a half, I felt much better…enough so that I had a bag of extra clothes to change into in case we got caught in the thunderstorms that had been predicted. About an hour before we were supposed to meet, Jeff called and told me I’d better forego today’s run but this conversation didn’t come without some tough talk…

Which I deserved. Yes, I had good intentions when I took those walks yesterday but I didn’t think about how hot and humid it was outside or how I should have planned better for afterwards with far more hydration than what I allowed. Today’s run was meant to be one of the most challenging runs I would have ever done…if not THE most challenging…and it was a good practice for our Spartan race coming up. The walk didn’t tire out my legs so I thought I was good to go but I didn’t take into consideration all that goes into walking outside in 80 some degrees, after having just done a Spartan type workout AND not being adequately hydrated before or afterwards. This mistake cost me the run today and while we have rescheduled it for Friday afternoon, it’s a mistake I won’t easily forget.

I get so caught up sometimes in trying to stay active or push for more and I don’t think about the side effects or the repercussions of doing something that seems so right and good for me. Running a few miles solo on a hilly path two days before a big run that includes climbing a steep hill can and will strain my right calf. Running on a day when I’ve traveled (by car or plane) can and will wreck havoc on my body. Overdoing the activity or overtraining will lead to an overuse injury and I’ve come to learn that it is so not worth it to deal with being sidelined because I did too much versus doing less but feeling good afterwards. There are still days that I find myself as that version of me that thinks if I do more with my running or I am active on the days when I’m told I shouldn’t or don’t need to be, that I will see the inches melt off or the weight come off..that those numbers matter and they are worth the risk. But they really aren’t. I don’t want to deal with the aches and pains that come with an overuse injury and I don’t want to deal with the effects of being dehydrated because I didn’t think to take care of myself before and after. I want to go into a challenging trail run, feeling 100% and being able to give my 100% because I was smart. What I did yesterday was done with the best of intentions…to take a walk (twice) and enjoy my surroundings (which I did!) and maybe burn some calories while I was at it…but I did more harm than good and I won’t forget this lesson learned for a long time to come.