Reaping the Benefits
As I have shared in some of my previous blogs this running journey has been interesting, fun and rewarding. I started running a year ago in March. I had been working out for several years but I wanted to run because I had been stagnant in my weight loss journey. I knew if I could keep up with my clean food and water intake, in addition to stepping up my workouts, I could change my body and continue to work on my lifestyle. I feel like I have made great strides and I’m loving the new me. However, one thing I did not know or appreciate was rest and recovery days. I found out quickly after an injury, or two…that I have to rest and recover on my own or my body would force me to (in the form of an injury). The old me wanted to workout out everyday because I wanted to drop the weight, build muscles and see results yesterday. However, what I did not know or appreciate is that I needed to build in recovery and rest days while working out. Evidently our bodies need rest, imagine that,…. It’s just like taking a sabbath from your job. We do not work seven days a week (ok we shouldn’t, even though we do at times). We have to pause, reflect, refresh and reset as we reboot for the next week. Our bodies are the same way. Yes it’s good to have movement and stretch ourselves with aerobic and anaerobic activity. However, we must also give our body time to rest and rebuild after all the work we put our bodies through. Stubborn me used to not take recovery days at all but wiser, maturer me knows better now and appreciates it. My running coach encourages me to take at least one day per week and at times two days per week, especially if there is a race or long training run in my workout plan.
This past weekend I was able to reap the benefits of my rest and recovery time. I had initially planned to run a half marathon (13.2 miles) but I had to change to the 10k (6.2 miles) as I am coming off of an injury. This was a mental challenge for me. I had been planning on this half marathon for sometime. I had four planned for 2024 and this was the second one for the year. Prideful me was going to do it but I knew I did not have to nor need to as it could hinder my training for my first marathon. In the end I decided to be wise and only do the 10k.
I’m so glad I chose the 10k! I decided to work to beat my last time from my May 10k last month. This race turned out much better and taught me a few lessons on the run. First, I started too fast I came out the gate feeling strong and confident, but too fast. It is so easy to get caught up with the crowd and the momentum of the race but if you’re not careful it will negate the plan and impact your race. I knew I needed to run ‘my pace and my race’ and I kept trying to slow down but I was feeling good. I got this. I can keep this up for six miles. “You got this Spicer!” Well, I didn’t stick to my plan and it got me at the last mile. More about that later.
I was able to maintain a good pace (for me) at about 11:40. I had planned to improve my speed so by the last mile I’d be at around 10:45/10:30. Yeah. That didn’t happen. I stayed in the 11s as planed for the first few miles but I started slowing down. My body felt good, me knee was strong and my breathing was pretty on point but I felt tired and mentally I started giving in to my negative self talk. Here I learned that I must work on my mental toughness, self talk, and endurance. At times I can talk myself through the run but this one I didn’t do the best. It’s ok. I’m learning more about me.
I also learned that I appreciated having a live cheerleader with me. One of my daughters was there with me. She was tracking me on the app and every mile she would text me some motivation. If I tell you that helped me, it did! This is where I realized I need accountability and support. Yes the run is alone and it’s me vs me but I know that I need encouragement even outside of myself. My other daughter couldn’t make it but she was there with me through the messages she wrote on my arms. 3C’s Comfortable. Consistent. Compete. Then run Run RUN on the other arm. Yes. I kept looking while I ran too!!! These messages had meaning and reminded me to keep a comfortable pace the first 2 miles, be consistent the next 2 and then finish strong and compete on the last 2.
I ended way slower than I wanted and didn’t end with my strong finish as planned. Ok, the last .3 miles I finished strong but that should have been the last 2.2 miles. However, I finished. I felt much better than my May race. I also recovered faster after the race. Like I felt really good! We left went to breakfast and celebrated but I hadn’t checked my times to share with my coach. Welp. I found out that I came in 2nd in my age group! Wow! I definitely didn’t expect that or even see that coming but I appreciated it! I felt like I accomplished something for me, Tiffany. Please know I do not run to win. I literally run to workout and challenge myself. This is my time to focus on me. That’s all. It’s about building myself from the inside out.
I’m proud of where I’m headed. I plan to celebrate with my family during our time off. I also plan to work on reframing my negative self talk on my runs. I’m learning that I can do hard things. I’m going to continue to push to do even harder things because I can. You can too!
I’m not sure what you do to build, restore and refuel yourself but I challenge you to do something for you! It’s life changing and fulfilling! As educators we have the greatest responsibility, yet stressful, that at times consume us. We must, I mean it, we must find a healthy outlet to take care of ourselves as we serve others. Hopefully my journey and experiences help you, challenge you and fuel you!
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