Just popping in quickly to say that today’s Should, my Long Slow Run of the week, a run that would have been 18k and taken me along a route I love, has been judiciously pushed to the side, The primary cause is that my left Achilles is protesting more than usual, and although I think I could “run through it,” I’m asking myself why I feel I need to –or Should– do that. ( just to be clear, I generally do run because I want to and I enjoy my runs. But sometimes I’m running to conform to a training plan. Right now, there’s no good reason to push and there’s clearly a potential risk to that approach.)
Instead, after doing some stretches and icing my heel, I’m off for a long bike ride with Pater . . .in the sunshine . . .with a lunch stop along the way. sounds like fun, no?
And we definitely Should be Having Fun!
thanks for all the thoughtful comments on my last post. A sense of obligation I can be a very useful prod in life, but it can also obscure the important things, and you helped validate that awareness in me.
Happy Sunday!
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You did the right thing with the ice + rest. "Running it though" is actually continuing to tax a body part that is saying it's hurting. With cycling, you still get exercise (and a training effect if you want to ride that hard).
While I don't always rest for hurt body parts, I'm pretty well educated on the topic after so many years of Pilates and yoga and running and physio and massage therapy. I do have some personality characteristics that make it difficult to discern, sometimes, just where the line is between pushing and resting, but I know I made the right choice yesterday. And the cycling was fun!
Reirement can be an opportunity to march to a different beat than the one that we used during our working lives. My "shoulds" shifted dramatically once I started thinking "If something happened tomorrow, what would I be glad I did today?"
It's true, isn't it? That awareness of death is a great prioritized, although I tend to think on a longer frame than the day. If I'd fought with my husband, for example, I think I'd try to keep in mind how great our last year, or three months, or two weeks, or whatever, have been.
Hi Frances- So enjoy reading your posts and of course, you resonate with many when you share you feelings about "ought to" and "want." Please share more about your visit to Paris with your sister- i feel as thought that topic has not been fully developed on the blog. Looking forward to reading more! Johanna
Thanks so much, Johanna. So good to know the posts catch your interest. And yes, I will write another post or two about that trip
Very smart. And you're still getting exercise. It's win-win.
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Pain seems to be a signal to "try something else." My 60+ friend who runs has had to swim for the last while because she kept "running through the pain". I have been dealing with the "shoulds" a lot since I came home from Mexico and it is making me feel very tired. The early morning is a beautiful time for a bike ride.
I think that has baseline of what really makes you feel happy and healthy, the baseline you establish for yourself on those solo extended trips, is a really good resource. I hope you're drawing on that knowledge as you work through your shoulds
Please,don't run through the pain, Achilles could be very naughty sometimes and it is is good to take a rest and see. I'm sure that you are very experienced runner and you Know when is time to rest and when is time to check
Hope that everything is ok today!
dottoressa
You're right, Dottoressa. My Achilles can be naughty, indeed. It's an ongoing problem, though, and I can generally manage it with some reasonable steps.
Yep…you made the right choice. That's what we did yesterday, too. Went for a bike ride on the trails, and then home for lunch…maybe followed by tea on the deck and a wee nap. I love reading about your running adventures. I am vicariously running with you. I had to stop running years ago due to knee problems, although I was never the runner you are.
We ended up doing 40kilometres on some cool city trails in gorgeous sunshine. And now my knee is complaining! Sheesh! đ
What can I say: wow! Great,congrats!
Dottoressa
Hope it was just wonderful. I hope the knee shuts up soon;).
Sounds like a good choice, and sometimes letting go of obligation is both necessary and the hardest thing to do.