Inertia is your enemy. Inertia is your friend. inertia is the property of bodies that are at rest to remain at rest, and inertia is the property of bodies that are in motion to remain in motion.
We are two weeks in now. And right on schedule are all the posts listing all the reasons that it is really, really a good idea to take a day off.
A long run is a battle between the mind and the body. And 1000 kilometers is a very long run!
The body can be pretty dam sneaky. There is a dialogue that goes on in every long race; “that twinge in your foot is probably something serious… you better quit”, “It is quite an accomplishment to make 3 loops… you can do 4 and 5 next time. You can quit now and you are still a winner”, “you are way ahead of the game… one day off is the smart thing to do.”
Now, I am not advising people to hammer themselves into jelly. 4 months is a long road, and there are quite a few runners who have way overdone it. My personal rule is; i can do one mile any day i feel like it. i dont even have to have a reason…. (A lot of you have a good reason to have some 1 mile days.)
But, I have to put on my running gear and take that first step out the door.
That step is the hardest, and most important, step of all. Most days, that first step out the door is harder than all the rest combined. And the reason is bad inertia. A body at rest wants to remain at rest.
What you need to develop is good inertia. If you have gone even two weeks, you are on the way. And good inertia is the habit of going out every day and doing something.That is why your body is redoubling its efforts to get you to break the momentum, before you acquire so much good inertia that its voice gets fainter and fainter, until you cannot hear it at all.
If you have gone out too hard, and brought on yourself all manner of aches and pains, you have given your body something to work with. It wants you to believe those aches and pains are fatal. It wants you to believe that the only therapy is to just remain ensconced on the sofa, and watch Judge Judy.
Those aches and pains will go away. They will go away sooner if you stretch those sore muscles out with a easy effort. Eventually a hard day will leave you with nothing more than a mild soreness, that becomes almost like a friend as you learn to associate it with the good feelings that come with being in shape…. And the easy days will be more pleasant (rejuvenating even) than any amount of lying on the couch and watching Judge Judy.
So, just remember that you are winning the war. Every time you put on your stuff and take that most difficult step, it gets a little easier the next time. The day will come that you do not even think about it. it will just be what you do, and who you are. Your miles will become a respite from the rest of the day. a time to forget your worries. A time to let the bad emotions fade. A time that leaves you feeling happier, and more at peace. You might even start to look forward to it.
But, seriously, you should try to work out your schedule so you don’t miss Judge Judy!
Laz