When Yes, When No!

Today would have been the Stowe 8 Miler.  A marque race attracting many hundreds of people.  It went virtual this year due to Covid-19.  But a few GMAA folks decided to do it as a time trial.  I said I was in.  My week revolved around getting ready for an 8 mile time trial. 

Then on Saturday two things happened.  One, the weather turn rainy and very humid.  Two, I felt as washed out as I had in many weeks.  Thinking about leaving at 6:30 a.m. and then 45 minutes to Stowe to run in the rain and another 45 back just didn’t excite me.  I went to bed leaving the decision to morning, but was pretty sure I’d do an easy run around here.  Which is what I ended up doing.

During this time of Covid, we want to keep pushing, set challenges for ourselves and then meet them.  It helps having goals and things to look forward to.  But with our running, it’s also important to put things in context and focus on the long view.  If our body (and mind!) are screaming “No” and we push on anyhow, there is a chance, maybe a good chance, we set ourselves up for injury.  At a time when some days running has been my bridge to sanity, that was too much of a risk.

So, I said “No.”

There will be plenty of other chances to challenge myself and stay on track.  I am realizing, as I know most others are as well, that there are hidden stresses hitting us due to the isolation and concerns about how all of this will play out.  Our routines are totally disrupted.  Friends are mostly seen on Zoom.  So it’s a particularly important time to listen to all these signals.  There is a balance between letting ourselves off the hook — that can easily become a pattern — and truly listening to what we need to hear.

Today, I heard “No”, and followed that!  

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