I often joke that there are few thoughts I have that aren’t shared with someone. Fortunately, I’m married to a very patient someone who is totally willing to listen to me ramble about anything that happens to come to my mind. The most amazing parts to me are that he remembers all of this mental unpacking and can participate in the conversations days later AND that he is not enough of an outlet for me. I also have two blogs, Facebook and a classroom full of children who are subject to my verbose nature.
It’s a given then that they know I’m working towards being my healthiest self, and part of that means I am exercising a lot. They even know I have started running as I celebrated that with them too. At my school there is an after school fitness class that kids can participate in if they want to. On Mondays they have what is called ‘mileage Monday’. Every Monday as I leave I see the runners going around and around the building. A few of my students are in the club so I decided to train with them on Monday. You know. The day after my first mile.
In general my workouts have alternated with one ‘easy’ day and one ‘go hard’ day. The easy days usually consist of just a walk or stationary bike ride for 30 minutes and about 15 minutes of crunching and lifting and planking and… The hard days are run days and the 15 minutes of toning/strength/weights/whateverit’scalled training [I should point out that the whateverit’scalled training is hit or miss at this point – inconsistent but something I am trying for]. I take a day off in between to let my hip heal. I know, what an old lady, right? But for serious, I run and that night I have an achy hip. I looked it up online and it seems like as long as it has that quick heal my body will get used to being used like this and I’ll adjust.
Enter Mileage Monday. It was not a good idea. My muscles were mad at me as I started to run. I felt it. But I was there to work out, to push the kids along, to be a part of the infectious spirit of fitness, so I just did it. The warmer I got the better I felt, but I never felt good running on Monday. I felt beat up, used up, chewed up and fatigued. Suddenly I understood why all the books say to take a day off when you’re training. My body needed it.
I finished my mile and did two more laps walking. My hip hollered and my knee actually made some noise too. I took Alleve when I got home and slept on the opposite hip, hoping to feel better by the next day. I did, somewhat. But what I really took from that was a lesson about listening to my body. Be smart and don’t push. That run knocked me out yesterday and today I’m still taking an easy day on my bike and weights.
Tomorrow will be good. Tomorrow ill venture outside again to see what these gams can do!
WITH REASON!
I know.
😛