Guess what? I didnt run a single mile while I was in Europe.
Why? I needed to not run. Before The Pilot and I took off for London, I was sick with a nasty upper respiratory infection that kept me in bed for 3 days. I still managed to eke out 30 miles that week...25 of them that weekend, even though I wasn't feeling 100% yet. I ran Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with no rest in between and when I attempted to hit the track on Tuesday for some speedwork before my flight out, I slugged through 1 lap around the track at close to a 12:00 pace before calling it quits.
I needed a break. I intended to run later in the week in Europe, but I decided that the amount of walking I was doing was sufficient cross training and that the way my training was going, I could afford to take a week off.
And you know what? It worked. I've felt great on all of my runs this week...better than I had been feeling even before I got sick. It was stupid of me try and keep my training going full throttle while being sick and taking a week off was just what my body needed to fully recover.
This week, I've done 2 easy runs and 1 technique run. Im heading out again this evening for some double day miles and I'll run long on Sunday. I jumped right back into my training and after the rest, my legs feel fresh, my mind is clear and I feel strong, and ready to tackle the next 8 weeks of marathon training.
Marathon training is a tough beast to tackle. The longest training cycle I've ever done was 14 weeks...this time around, I built a strong base and then started a 16 week cycle and maybe it was just a little too much.
Next weekend, I'm running the Philly Rock & Roll Half-Marathon. I haven't even thought about setting goals for it but I do know that I'm a lot more prepared to race my 2nd half of the year than I would have been without taking some time off.
This might seem unorthodox and I know that for a lot of people, the idea of taking a week off during marathon training is mortifying, but for me, I think it worked...and I'm excited for the next 8 weeks which will involve harder, longer speed work, hills, long runs of 18+ miles each weekend and another half just a few weeks out from Race Day.
Why? I needed to not run. Before The Pilot and I took off for London, I was sick with a nasty upper respiratory infection that kept me in bed for 3 days. I still managed to eke out 30 miles that week...25 of them that weekend, even though I wasn't feeling 100% yet. I ran Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with no rest in between and when I attempted to hit the track on Tuesday for some speedwork before my flight out, I slugged through 1 lap around the track at close to a 12:00 pace before calling it quits.
I needed a break. I intended to run later in the week in Europe, but I decided that the amount of walking I was doing was sufficient cross training and that the way my training was going, I could afford to take a week off.
And you know what? It worked. I've felt great on all of my runs this week...better than I had been feeling even before I got sick. It was stupid of me try and keep my training going full throttle while being sick and taking a week off was just what my body needed to fully recover.
This week, I've done 2 easy runs and 1 technique run. Im heading out again this evening for some double day miles and I'll run long on Sunday. I jumped right back into my training and after the rest, my legs feel fresh, my mind is clear and I feel strong, and ready to tackle the next 8 weeks of marathon training.
Marathon training is a tough beast to tackle. The longest training cycle I've ever done was 14 weeks...this time around, I built a strong base and then started a 16 week cycle and maybe it was just a little too much.
Next weekend, I'm running the Philly Rock & Roll Half-Marathon. I haven't even thought about setting goals for it but I do know that I'm a lot more prepared to race my 2nd half of the year than I would have been without taking some time off.
This might seem unorthodox and I know that for a lot of people, the idea of taking a week off during marathon training is mortifying, but for me, I think it worked...and I'm excited for the next 8 weeks which will involve harder, longer speed work, hills, long runs of 18+ miles each weekend and another half just a few weeks out from Race Day.
How do you feel about taking a week off from training?
Have you ever done it?
Happy Running!
