I’m tired. My legs feel like stone.
It’s fatigue. Fatigue feels like stone. The trouble with it, I find, is knowing how to handle it.
Okay. So the easy answer for dealing with fatigue is, of course, rest. But full-on rest is just not an option I’m willing to consider. I love running too much to leave it – even for a couple of days, especially when I know that every day I can run is a gift. One day I’ll be too injured or sick to run, but that day is not today, so I’m gonna run – even if my legs feel like stone.
So what do I do when my legs are fatigued? I broaden my definition of “rest” to include easy running. I don’t drop my volume, but I do drop my intensity – and I won’t hit the track again until that stony feeling is dissolved out of my legs. It feels terrible to wait to do workouts, but I’ve learned from the past, from doing workouts while that feeling is still in my legs – it isn’t pretty. And it takes longer to get rid of the fatigue if I’ve run hard on it.
But I’m tired. And I have no clear direction for this racing season. Right now, I’m thinking about taking June off of racing and then doing another half marathon in late July. Alex, my running partner, suggested that I take advantage of my fitness and do another half in a couple of weeks -- strike while the iron is hot. But I just don’t have the fire right now. There’s a slow burn in there, but it needs to be kindled. July is better.
In other news, the Cabot Trail Relay took place this past weekend. Dennis Fairall’s Grey Hair was unable to cobble together a team this year, so the Maineiacs took back the crown. And they ran well – but our course record from last year still stands. I’m pretty sure there is enough desire among the Grey Hairs to put together a team in the future, so those Maineiacs shouldn’t get too comfortable – but it’s nice to see that they’re still running hard.
Happy trails!
