Why I’m Slowing Down to Speed Up
Confession time: I’ve broken my own cardinal rule of fit life.
I haven’t been listening to my body.
In the end stretch of marathon training, my body said, I’m tired. How much longer do we have to do this? My feet said, You need to stop. My head said, But I’ve put SO MUCH training into this. I’m not going to stop now.
So my feet acquiesced. OK, they said, we’ll get you through this marathon. You did train hard for this, and you’re ready. But after you run it, THEN you have to stop.
I ran the marathon. I wrecked my feet. I couldn’t wear any footwear except UGG boots for seven straight days, and I padded around my office in socks.
But on the eighth day, I laced up my running shoes again and ran a 5K.
My body wasn’t ready for that 3 miles, not even after seven straight days of rest. I stumbled on the trail and barely caught my balance. I was back to limping on the sides of my feet afterward because I had torn up my feet again and the blisters were plaguing me.
Still, I wasn’t ready to listen. I told myself that I was — I ran shorter distances and less frequently. Three miles here, four miles there. But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.
Last weekend, I ran the 8-mile Hot Cider Hustle. For the first four miles, my left knee hurt with every step. For the last four miles, both my hip flexors hurt. Afterward, my blisters were angry and inflamed again, and I limped the rest of the day.
That race was the turning point, a moment of realization. Yes, I finished. But I’m ready to listen now. My feet are wrecked and if I’m not careful, my body is going to be wrecked too.
My feel will heal eventually, with rest. Without it, I’ll just keep opening the same wounds again (literally and figuratively). And worse, I’m risking doing real damage to my body, the kind of damage that magic bandages or prescription creams can’t heal. The kind that requires physical therapy or even surgery.
So I’m hanging up my running shoes for the season.
That’s right. I’m taking an off season. NO running. Not even slow running or short-distance running. None. Even typing that has me in a panic, but I know that it’s what my body needs. What my feet are demanding.
I’m approaching fitness from a different perspective for the remainder of 2019. Slow down to speed up. It’s the mantra of the FIT4MOM Body Ignite program, and it fits. I’m slowing down now so I can speed back up in 2020, after my body has healed and rebuilt itself, to set and reach new goals.
Of course, you know I can’t sit idly on the couch for the next two months and eat carbs like I’ve threatened (although it’s tempting. Very tempting.)
So I’m focusing on mindful fitness instead. Lower-impact, strength, core, stretch. Strength training with Body Ignite twice a week. Yoga at least twice a week. Only one HIIT workout per week, with modified cardio as necessary. Rest days.
Sometimes, I relish the idea of a slower pace and intentional movement — a sign of just how exhausted this body is. I crave my yoga mat, intentional movements, the heated studio and the comforting darkness. I need stillness. Quiet. Rest.
At the same time, I’m scared. I don’t like to slow down. I’m not good at resting. It’s easier to keep pushing forward, because when you keep pushing, you don’t have to think.
And you don’t have to face the hard things. Like what will happen if I continue to eat the way I’ve been eating during marathon training season. (I’m not going to like how this one turns out.) Or how my mind is going to feel without running to clear it. Or how my body will feel when I finally do resume running again. (It’s going to be an uphill battle on both those ones.)
But I’ve never shied away from a challenge, and I’m not about to start now.
Strength is facing the hard things. It’s knowing what you need to do, knowing that you don’t want to do it — and doing it anyway.
So I’ll settle for a slowdown. And I’ll be ready to speed back up when my body tells me it is.
What kind of fitness activity is your favorite? Share in the comments below or with #NeverDoneWithFun on social media. Keep following my journey on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for updates on the off season.
