100 Days 100 Runs Challenge:
A while back I tossed around the idea of starting a challenge where participants would try to complete 100 Runs within 100 Days. I am not 100% certain my body is ready to start this, but I think I’ll give it a shot. I’ve created a page to outline the details of the challenge. Check it out and play along!
Listen Hard, Your Body is Speaking:
I am really good at ignoring myself. I take care of everything around me before I take care of myself. This past week I have really felt crummy; dizzy and fatigued. It took a lot for me to recognize that I probably shouldn’t be running when I couldn’t even walk a straight line down the hallway of my home. And even though I know that cutting back was the right thing, I hated myself just a little bit for doing so. Felt like a lazy sloth. In order to be a successful runner (or even a successful human being), we need to learn to be in tune with our own bodies. My body tends to whisper, I’m trying to learn to listen.
The standard “Run Your Own Race”
Wow, how many times do we hear this phrase. Yet, I forget it over and over and over. My friends have some very different goals in terms of racing and training than my goals. Just because they’re running 10+ miles on Saturday and Sunday, doesn’t mean that is the best choice for me. But when I skip out on those, I feel pangs of sadness that I’m missing out on the fun (or the pain). I’m struggling to figure out how to best work out running with them and not derailing my own plans.
Any advice or words of wisdom are always appreciated. It sounds like I’m feeling glum.
Perhaps I am.
Okay, I know I am.
I just hate admitting it because then I feel like I’m failing at something.
Jill Will Run 
I’m sorry that I don’t have any advice; but know that I feel the same way sometimes. I feel very bad if I miss out on a run or workout even if it is for illness or something very important. A few weeks ago I could not get over missing a run because I was chaperoning a ski trip…
I gave you my two cents!
Have you gotten any results on your bloodwork?
i think we all go through the ups and downs. i was just feeling down about myself/my running last week and then today i had a really good run which pretty much made up for a whole week of crappy ones. hang in there. do whatever you feel like doing. you’ll bounce back!
Are you eating right and getting enough sleep?
I understand that your buddies are running ten miles and you miss running with them I miss running with Bobbi. But, I am not training for a marathon now and so I am not going to just go run 10 miles for the heck of it. Can you make plans to run with your friends for a 3 mile run? I think you just need a new “plan” of attack to get you remotivated.
You can do it girl.
I love your challenge idea. While I would love to do it, I’ve found I have to alter my routines from running and my current tri-training program would make it difficult.
Jill, I feel your pain! I was sick for the past week and didn’t run and felt GUILTY…how sad is that! I guess it’s because running is one of the few things that clear my head and bring me clarity! But I’ve really grown to learn that I MUST listen to my body! When body is sick, tired, exhausted and doesn’t want to run-I reluctantly listen to body! I still feel fat and gross, but the older I get the more I’ve found listening to my body is KEY! I just have to remember that if I’m sick and run, I’ll be out of running longer!!
I am sorry your training goals are different than your friends. How about you join them on their long runs but turn back when you’ve reached the halfway point of “your run” that way you get to start a run with them but aren’t ruining your training plans. You could spend time doing situps or whatever until they get back and then maybe all of you could get breakfast????
Penny
i’m going to second lindsay’s thoughts on this one. ifyou even get one good run in, on your own, that will help diminish the crappy feeling you’ve had going on.
and i think penny has a good idea of starting a run with your friends, then maybe stopping earlier. they are training to run ultras, right? that doesn’t mean you have to. everyone’s body is different. maybe your body is just telling you to take some time off. remember when lisa did that, and how much better she felt when she came back? sometimes it’s alright to just let yourself feel burnt out.
Hi Jill,
Google “overtraining” and I think you will recognize most of your symptoms. We get so caught up in pushing our limits, we sometimes fail to see that we have exceeded them. The toughest lesson I’ve had to learn in the last year is the need for recovery time. You run and run and think you are building strength, but if you aren’t giving your body enough time to recover, you are really just wiping out your reserves. Read my blog posts from 2007. I had several 200 mile months, and PRs at nearly every distance. I felt invincible. Then read the 2008 posts about the injuries, the frustration and the realization that I might never run again.
A good run might make you feel better for a day or two. A good rest will take longer, but it is an investment in your running future.
Best wishes!
All of you are so supportive and I appreciate this.
No, I’m not eating right. I’m not sleeping right. I’m not taking care of my mental well-being. I’m letting little work stressors irritate the hell out of me and I’m getting agitated at all kinds of little things. I’m not feeling like myself!
I desperately hope to change all this. I NEED to change all this, it’s just hard to flip the switch.