Retreat to succeed
The other morning I woke up at my usual time, feeling unusually beat up. It was an effort to climb out of bed at oh'dark thirty, hell not even thirty, that'd be sleeping in! I went downstairs and did the easy stuff, mediated and affirmed for a bit and then changed into my running clothes and headed out the door.
It was a beautifully dark morning, warm, birds singing. By all accounts what should have been the perfect time for a capable run. But I was not feeling capable. I felt...wrong. Off. Sore in spots that are not usually sore. It was not going to be the run I felt worthy of my time. After a few minutes I turned around a walked home.
Now, training experience provides that you should never judge a run in its first 15 minutes. But I know that regardless of what I know, sometimes you have to make a decision to go in another direction based not on a gut feeling, but something deeper. I think sometimes our 'gut feelings' are not snap judgments but actually us talking ourselves into doing something we fear. For example a gut feeling is not like driving down the road and all of a sudden multiple sensor lights start going off and you immediately pull over. Its more like the low gas light comes on and you wonder how far you can go before you need to fill up, pushing it just enough but ultimately knowing you will lose the battle and fill up your tank.
On this particular morning I decided I had enough immediate feedback loops that stopping was my best option.
It turned out to be the best decision. Had I continued my run, I would have missed a crucial moment with my son that would have stressed out Mistress and I was able to leave for work completely caught up with morning responsibility's and still had plenty of options during the day to sort out my decision.
Later that day, I tried it again and had a good workout. I retreated from one training session and the change in direction of my morning routine was the better for it. It was a skip in the routine, not a stop, not a reboot, not a recrimination. Ever forward, I like to say.
It was a beautifully dark morning, warm, birds singing. By all accounts what should have been the perfect time for a capable run. But I was not feeling capable. I felt...wrong. Off. Sore in spots that are not usually sore. It was not going to be the run I felt worthy of my time. After a few minutes I turned around a walked home.
Now, training experience provides that you should never judge a run in its first 15 minutes. But I know that regardless of what I know, sometimes you have to make a decision to go in another direction based not on a gut feeling, but something deeper. I think sometimes our 'gut feelings' are not snap judgments but actually us talking ourselves into doing something we fear. For example a gut feeling is not like driving down the road and all of a sudden multiple sensor lights start going off and you immediately pull over. Its more like the low gas light comes on and you wonder how far you can go before you need to fill up, pushing it just enough but ultimately knowing you will lose the battle and fill up your tank.
On this particular morning I decided I had enough immediate feedback loops that stopping was my best option.
It turned out to be the best decision. Had I continued my run, I would have missed a crucial moment with my son that would have stressed out Mistress and I was able to leave for work completely caught up with morning responsibility's and still had plenty of options during the day to sort out my decision.
Later that day, I tried it again and had a good workout. I retreated from one training session and the change in direction of my morning routine was the better for it. It was a skip in the routine, not a stop, not a reboot, not a recrimination. Ever forward, I like to say.
posted by Comm's @ 5:05 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Interesting. I had a long run planned for Sunday and had a terrible first 15 minutes. I should have turned back like you becuase the rest of it was terrible too and left me too exhausted to do my full workout on Monday, much less get up in time to workout today. Wise choice, Comm!
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