One of the challenges runners face is knowing when to take time off from training, when to push on with training, and not losing motivation after some time off.
In the past, I've been so worried about losing fitness that I didn't give myself enough recovery time after running a marathon- I just wanted to get right back to pounding out miles and nailing workouts so I could improve on my fitness and keep working toward faster and faster times, but that is a sure way to go down the road to injury.
This time around, I decided to take it easy for 2 full weeks- just enjoy the time off, enjoy not waking up at 4:45am, enjoy not having sore and tired legs, and let my body get a good rest so it will be ready for the next round of training. Other than an easy paced 40 mins on trails with a friend last weekend, I haven't run a step, and my body is thanking me for it. I feel well rested, and I have no aches or pains, so it's time to think about getting back into the training.
I plan on easing into it slowly- there's no rush, and I want to make sure that I don't wake up any lingering injuries that might be lying dormant after my marathon. This coming week I plan on a few easy paced runs, but no hard workouts. Next weekend I'm pace bunnying a local marathon (I'm the 4:15 bunny), so that will be a good, long run, but at a very relaxed pace. I think the week after that I'll start to build some workouts back in- there are a few trails races this fall that I want to do, and I need to sharpen up on speed and hills.
If you're running a fall marathon this year, don't feel compelled to jump right back in to your training. It's much better to take a couple of weeks off to recover now than a couple of months off later on to recover from injuries.
In the past, I've been so worried about losing fitness that I didn't give myself enough recovery time after running a marathon- I just wanted to get right back to pounding out miles and nailing workouts so I could improve on my fitness and keep working toward faster and faster times, but that is a sure way to go down the road to injury.
This time around, I decided to take it easy for 2 full weeks- just enjoy the time off, enjoy not waking up at 4:45am, enjoy not having sore and tired legs, and let my body get a good rest so it will be ready for the next round of training. Other than an easy paced 40 mins on trails with a friend last weekend, I haven't run a step, and my body is thanking me for it. I feel well rested, and I have no aches or pains, so it's time to think about getting back into the training.
I plan on easing into it slowly- there's no rush, and I want to make sure that I don't wake up any lingering injuries that might be lying dormant after my marathon. This coming week I plan on a few easy paced runs, but no hard workouts. Next weekend I'm pace bunnying a local marathon (I'm the 4:15 bunny), so that will be a good, long run, but at a very relaxed pace. I think the week after that I'll start to build some workouts back in- there are a few trails races this fall that I want to do, and I need to sharpen up on speed and hills.
If you're running a fall marathon this year, don't feel compelled to jump right back in to your training. It's much better to take a couple of weeks off to recover now than a couple of months off later on to recover from injuries.