Friday, June 13, 2008

Fake it til you make it?

If I keep on trudging - keep at those 2 or 3 or 4 mile runs, keep showing up at the pool and spinning class, will I start getting better at this? Will it start being more fun? I haven't had a good run in weeks - I'm hot, I'm tired, I'm achy or hurting, I'm just out of gas, all the time. I got nothin'. I walked the last mile of today's 4-miler. I kept trying to fake it - get that chi running feeling of freedom and fluidity, but I just couldn't sustain it. Do I need vitamins? WHAT can I do to get stronger?

2 comments:

LBTEPA said...

Beathe in....breathe out....
I reckon I practiced the chi running technique for about a month before I could sustain it, and even now I hardly ever feel 'fluid' - just more relaxed.
patience, grasshopper! (just being very annoying!:P)
You ARE getting stronger. I have a feeling though that if you're sore all the time you might be overdoing it -are you doing a lot of doubles (2 sessions a day) or back-to-backs? It took me about 6 months before I could sustain that, and even now I'll take a day off or swap a swim for a run if I'm feeling achy or as though my recovery isn't keeping up. I do take a multivitamin (and iron and vit C) every day though.
Another thing is, it's important to look for some enjoyment in your workouts rather than only seeing your 'failures'. The misty by the creek, the geraniums in someone's garden, the silly 80s song on the ipod. If you hate your workouts, THEY are wrong, not YOU. Cut some back, move some around. Be kind to yourself. Here endeth the lecture!!
Hang in there!!! ((hugs))

Calyx Meredith said...

It does sound like you're a little hollowed out on the workout front. Certainly a multi-vitamin or stress formula supplement can give you a boost. Have you thought about dialing back your workouts but upping the intensity? Sometimes that helps me look forward to them more (Oh, yay - a short work out, I can do that!) instead of dreading them and just marking time. I agree with LBTEPA that enjoying your training makes a difference. And finally - there sometimes is just a wall to push through to recalibrate your body for the next phase. Have you ever seen how at a construction site it seems they push piles of dirt around pointlessly for six months and then you drive by and there's a brand new building overnight? I think training can be like that. Lots of shifting and shifting and then VOILA. So - find a way to enjoy the shifting because after all your hard work, you deserve the VOILA. :D