As a runner, I am slightly obsessed with training plans. I love having boxes to tick off and goals to pursue to give structure to my running life. With a million decisions on my plate every single day, it’s nice to have someone tell me what to do when it comes to my workout.
Yet there is risk in following a training plan too closely, something that can be easy to fall into, particularly if you have perfectionist tendencies like I do. A training plan doesn’t know how you slept, what you ate, or what else is happening in your life. A training plan doesn’t know how hard the last run was or whether you’re on your cycle or woke up with a migraine.
A training plan, much like the pirate’s code, is merely a guideline. It is up to you to listen to your body and adjust the training accordingly.
I was once again reminded of this during my Monday morning run. I’d already made some adjustments to the original plan, which calls for speed work during the first run of the week. Since I ran a race on Saturday instead of the planned “easy” run, I knew it made more sense to shift my plan so I’d have an “easy” run on Monday and save the speedwork for later in the week, when I’m more recovered from running hard at the race.
This is one example of shifting your training in a way that makes sense to you. The plan doesn’t adjust itself according to your exertion level, so it’s up to you to make those decisions, at least until someone invents adaptive training plans. We have to make that call for ourselves and our bodies, because we know them best. And for me, that means knowing I’m injury prone and have a chronic pain condition that results in debilitating headaches if I overexert myself.
It’s taken me a while to feel empowered in these choices, but I’m generally pretty comfortable moving things around to different days of the week. What’s harder is listening to my body when it tells me, mid-run, that we can’t stick to the plan that day.
The goal for the day’s run was 40 minutes at a conversational pace. I could tell immediately that it was going to be a tough run. Even though I felt okay and relatively restored from my race, my body was sluggish and tired.
Sluggish and tired, I’m happy to push through. Take it a bit easier, maybe, but generally not grounds for quitting altogether. So I kept a steady pace and walked when it felt necessary.
But then, 20 minutes into the run, I felt a painful headache coming on. At that point, I became frustrated with my body. I’d hydrated, rested, and taken care of it. Why was it still refusing to cooperate with The Plan?
I had some decisions to make at this point. If I turned back, my run would be shorter than the 40 minutes on the schedule for that day. I couldn’t wave a magic wand and end the run right then and there, because I had to get home somehow. But I could make the choice to walk when I needed to, take it easy, and make a straight line home instead of taking the side streets to ensure a 40 minute duration.
It shouldn’t have been so hard. My body was telling me that I was overexerting myself and needed a break, some water, and, let’s be honest, a couple of ibuprofen. And yet… part of me wanted to push for that full 40 so I could check it off on the plan.
Ultimately, I did what I needed to. I went straight home, walked more than I ran, and grabbed a recovery beverage upon arrival. Once I accepted that my run couldn’t and shouldn’t follow the plan that day, I felt proud of my decision. I am glad I listened to my body and avoided worse repurcussions down the line.
But it surprises me, this long into running and having a chronic pain condition, how resistant I feel to modifying my runs (and my life) to fit what my body is telling me it needs.
So here I am, reminding you that you should listen to your body above following the plan set down in ink. Better to take care of yourself than to stick to an arbitrary measure of success. You have unconditional permission to rest and to take care of yourself, always.
Running Into Joy 