In my previous post, I wrote about inertia of the mental variety. This time I would like to focus on the physical inertia that likewise plagued me:
Starting a few weeks ago, my runs left me with a lethargy that lingered into the next morning and even the next run. Feeling sluggish while running and after was frustrating. The discouragement I felt pushed me so far as to consider quitting, at least until the fall, but knowing this would wreck my base, I have yet to take more than three consecutive days off. Instead, I have adopted some new strategies, and I am happy to share them with you now:
Carly’s tips for happy, if not fast, summer running:
Fast is relative and summer is tough. Heat and humidity are a double whammy for slowness, so scale back pace expectations and enjoy the run. Also beware: start out too fast and the heat will catch up with you causing the rest of your run to be a slog (I cannot count how many times this happened to me). For me, it helps to remember that this time last year my running suffered in equal measure (and I can prove it to myself with my 2012 log) which puts the kabash on melodramatic thoughts that I will “never be fast again” (I ran a very respectable half marathon in December of 2012).
Shorter is perfectly acceptable. Don’t get me wrong, I miss logging ten or twelve miles for my weekend long run, but doing that now is a chore that leaves me exhausted when I would rather have energy for summer fun. Shortening and slowing my expectations allow me to keep my runs fun. As an added bonus this approach also makes my next tip more tolerable.
Reunite with the treadmill. I make an annual transition to the treadmill in the winter when temperatures drop and days are short. Now I am including summer and relabeling this as a biannual thing. Of course this time, I am motivated by a need to beat the heat (because getting up early enough to run, shower, eat, and be at work by 8 is just not going to happen). This is also a great excuse to watch TV – I get inordinate pleasure when I turn to USA and NCIS or Law & Order SVU is on – seriously, goofy grin happy. Oh and last night, the big decision was NCIS or a Bourne movie on TNT, tough life decisions.
Hydrate early and often. I know this should be a no-brainer, but wow, what a difference hydration makes! Adhering to my new motto as of last Monday has been a game changer. I no longer have the lingering muscle soreness that I experienced the week prior and it has helped me feel a world of difference. It may even have been responsible for both this post and the last – so raise your glass to water!