A term that’s used frequently on social media with regard to running is “listen to your body.” This is a catch-all term that appears to mean, “if any body part feels less than perfect, cancel your run.” It's easy to turn this into a "final straw" excuse not to run.
Certainly we are all capable of listening to our body. The thing is, do we understand what our body is saying to us? Sometimes our body does not seem to be speaking the same language. Wait, what was that? Did you say, “No quiero correr hoy,” or “necessito correr hoy?” I understand a few words but what was that first word again? Getting it wrong could mean lack of progress in your running career or extended down -time due to injury. thinking we understand when we really don’t could be the worst situation: a setup for failure, whether that’s minimal gains or debilitating injury.
Here’s an example.
I ran a goal marathon this past May. That went as well as can be expected after it went virtual, but that’s a different story. After 842 training miles over twenty weeks, my body had earned a rest. After returning home, during the next Autumn Arch Run Club weekly run, I learned that the brewery was hosting a 5k in the very near future. After marathon training, “only a 5k” would be a rest day, but I’m a competitive person, so of course if I run a 5k I want to run it “fast.” Don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t going to win, except for maybe my age group. But I’m always looking to Beat Yesterday.
I asked my body if it was up for the challenge, and when I listened to my body, it said it wasn’t sure. I had eleven (11) days to train. I thought, if I run a hard run every other day, I can get four workout runs in before a few easy pre-race days. My plan was to start with some intervals the next day and then repeat every other day with a lower number of longer intervals. I had a lot of easy miles on my legs at that point, so of course I planned to listen to my body along the way.
The first training day was awesome: 4x800m intervals, each one faster than the previous, averaging just above my 5k PR pace. . It felt great to run “fast” again! I asked my body how it was feeling, and I listened to my body tell me, “All systems go.” After another easy day, it was back to running hard. This was a Saturday – my traditional long run day – but this time I had a new goal in mind: 5x1km intervals, each one faster than the previous, averaging well below my 5k PR pace. This felt even better than the previous effort! This was going to work! “Hey body,” I asked, “Are we going to do this?” I listened to my body. “YES!” was the resounding answer from my body. Another easy day, then another workout. Now it’s Monday, my usual interval day; today was going to be epic! I banged out 4x1.25km intervals, each at a steady 9 sec/mile under my 5k PR. “Hey, body… how are you feeling today?”
That was it. I listened to my body, and I didn’t like what I heard. My body told me it wasn’t happy. I had developed a pain on the side of my right knee. This was going to be a deal-breaker. After only five days in, 5k Training was over. Five days away, the race was off.
So, what’s the moral of this story? You need to listen to your body, but you need to be certain that you understand what your body is saying. Was my body ready to train for a 5k following two days off and two easy runs post-marathon? Yes, my body said it was ready, I believed it then, and I still do. Was my training plan reasonable? Yes; hard/easy/hard/easy/hard for a week is not a crazy plan. Did my body change its mind after five days of hard training? Again, the answer is yes. Two different answers from my body in the span of only five days. Do you understand what you are hearing when you listen to your body?
You need to listen to your body, you need to be certain that you understand what your body is saying, and you need to react the correct way even if your body tells you something you don’t want to hear. You need to be just as ready and willing to pull the plug at the first sign of an injury before it becomes an injury that requires you (gasp!) stop running! And sometimes, getting to that injury point is necessary for you to fully understand what your body was telling you. We don't truly know where our limits are until we exceed them. But NEXT time, you’d better pay attention, remember, and react.
