Monday, April 19, 2010

rest days

This weekend I spent a lot of time laying on the couch with a leg up. Though, I nearly froze that leg off with the bags of ice I went through. My lower leg pain which has only been a slight annoyance so far made itself known after Saturday's 17 miles. In fact other than my leg pain the rest of me felt fantastic following the run. I decided it was in my best interest to skip Sunday's run to rest and ice. Although I did go to the gym for some weights (for the first time in long time) and the stationary bike. The leg is feeling better today but I'm taking another rest day and keeping my fingers crossed it is even better tomorrow. I know I won't be 100% but I'm holding out for bearable and no further damage. I'm feeling guilty missing some miles and I really don't want to miss any more!

How do you "get over" the guilty feeling on missing miles during training?

Right now I'm telling myself my body needs the rest/low impact days more than the miles on my legs. I want to show up healthy and ready, not hurting!

15 comments:

MCM Mama said...

Hope your leg feels better quickly! I tend not to feel guilty, but I think that's because i'm lazy. ;o)

Aron said...

ugg i have a hard time with that too but you are being SMART!! rest that leg up for a couple days and you will be good as new :)

Tara said...

I skipped my workout tonight because of a fever and I feel guilty. I think we must be a little obsessed. :) Rest that leg up and you'll be back at it in no time and your body will appreciate the rest!

kristen said...

Ack. that sucks. I dont' remember what marathon you doing, but I think its flying pig wich is only in a couple of weeks right? So you've already done all the training. NO reason to feel guity over missing a few recovery miles. You KNOW your body will be better off for it! Keep icing and resting.

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

Great blog! Oh, and getting over skipping workouts? I am terrible at that too! I just remember how bad and long the recovery was for my IT band last year, and take it easy. I figure 1-3 days off now is better than 6-8 weeks if I push it!

Marlene said...

Good for you giving your leg the rest it needs. Hope you feel back to 100% soon! It's HARD to miss out on the miles, but if you push it too hard you won't be running at all.

Jess said...

I try to ignore the guilt and shove it out of my brain with the thoughts that my body needs the rest.

Good for you for icing and backing off the runs!

Jeri said...

I don't feel guilty if it's a legit pain/injury that NEEDS to be rested. However, when I skip runs for ice cream and tv... well I *tend* to feel guilty for those ones. ;)

Anonymous said...

Lately, I've been making more of an effort not to "eat like a runner" on my rest days. Essentually, that means less bread and PB and extra veggies. I feel better about taking the time off and letting my body heal if I'm not stressing about the calories I'm not burning. Hope you feel better soon!

kilax said...

I hope your leg feels better today! When I am feeling guilty, I usually cross train. ;)

Mark said...

I hear you...it's tough to keep that right balance. I've learned, barely, that rest is okay....

Denise said...

my first time training for a marathon i beat myself up so badly if i missed a run. but now i realize the importance of listening to our body and know i won't lose any fitness by taking a day off here or there. feel better!! resting is the right idea!

J said...

I have trouble missing the miles but in the back of my mind I know I need to keep telling myself that it is good for me in the long run! Hope your leg is feeling better!!

X-Country2 said...

This will pay off in the long run. Keep taking care of yourself.

Bill Carter said...

Hi Jamie

At this point, you have done the work to have a great race. With a little less than 3 weeks to go, you are exactly where I was when I popped my hamstring. I think you will be great come race time, but you might want to think about doing what I did. If you feel like it is a muscular issue, you might want to see a massage therapist who specializes in athletes. Honestly, I am sure that is what helped me recover in time and was a new experience for me. Definitely don't trouble yourself with missing a couple of taper workouts.

Good luck Jamie.