Monday, October 26, 2009

Life Lesson #52

I am not sure if I believe that I could over train. Being a bit overweight I find it hard to believe that I could somehow overwork myself to a detriment. Now with that said...Yes, I do realize that I have a tendency to live in denial......

I do believe that there are times where I need to learn to listen to my body better as it speaks (screams out in agony) to me.

Life Lesson #52:

I am not very good at listening to my body,and hearing the things it has to say to me. I have a really hard time finding a pace, I have a hard time noticing if I am slowing down, I sometimes think I am going much faster than my average pace to only discover I am not really increasing my speed.For Christmas last year my awesome, thoughtful husband bought me a garmin. It was everything I could ask for! It keeps my heart rate, shows my time and pace and (my favorite) distance (of course the maps are really cool too). There is a point where I found myself relying on the garmin to tell me how I was feeling during a run as I would look over the numbers after I returned home. I know it is silly, but I guess I didn't need to really listen to my body now did I...

I admit it, I am addicted. So now,...

Now it is time to start listening to my body better, and not the numbers. We ran our first race this year with minimal footwear (the water shoes) Friday Oct. 24Th. In realizing that my addiction has become something I needed to face I decided to leave the heart rate monitor at home. (yahoo for me). As we began the run my garmin timer wouldn't kick in.... I felt like I had just quit smoking again cold turkey! Panic set in, then it left me like the weight of my old shoes. Thank you Lord for crapping out my garmin for the evening to show me how I don't need to rely on it. I went on our first minimal footwear race with minimal technology as well!

I still will like to have a distance monitor to make sure I am on route for the long runs and I will still use the garmin to help me train, but I don't need it to tell me how I am feeling. As a matter of fact I will tell it how I am doing as I train for the longer distances.

Which brings me to Life Lesson #53: a lesson on humility, to be saved for another time...

I love to run and the lessons I find along the way keep me coming out for more!

Nicole

2 comments:

  1. Dear Nicole,
    I am a friend of G.O.
    My reading in English is not so good, and I hope that what I am sharing with you is appropriate to what you said in your blog.

    A few years back, I toured Gaspésie on my bicycle. I had no fun until the day I stop looking to my odometer and speedometer. After that I droped these devices, I pedaled according to my rythm and I felt free. Most of the pains I had were gone rapidely.
    My vacations started that day!
    Since then, when I go running, I just follow how I feel. There are too many numbers and restriction of all kind in my life for me to add one more.
    Have Fun!
    Bye.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you, I am finding you to be right.

    ReplyDelete