A Partnership to be Written in Pencil

Just recently I have been writing about how happy I was to be training again, my quest for the right shoe, and I was cruising right along.  Until I wasn't.  I have been battling a cold for the past 10+ days now, and not the standard issue cold, but the kind that holds on like grim death.  Last night it was at its worst - no meds of any kind helped, I was only semi-comfortable sitting up with my mouth  hanging open, and my sore nose glowed like Rudolph's.  I had gone for a couple runs early on in my illness only to see that I felt much worse the day after (thanks for pointing that out my dear training log). 

This is exactly what I've been feeling like lately. Yuck!

In an act of desperation last night I resorted to trying out a couple old wives tales pared with as much sleep as possible.  After sleeping for 11 hours with half an onion next to my bed and fresh garlic rubbed on the bottom of my feet, I felt the tide turn.  By this afternoon my congestion was about 80% relieved, and my lungs only half as tight as yesterday.  So naturally I started thinking about the necessary adjustments I'd have to make to my training plan to get back on track.

Eleven years ago when I first started getting into distances longer than a half marathon I was not quite so flexible.  If I felt a cold coming on, but my Hal Higdon training plan called for a 38 mile week, you'd better believe that I'd be getting all my miles in, even if it meant carrying a backpack full of Kleenex and running a pace comparable to that of a turtle.  I was a slave to the plan, and in my mind, they were all written in pen.  No changes allowed, if it was on the calendar, it had to be done.

My approach to training is much different now.  I realize and accept that my miles need to be approached with flexibility and mindfulness.  I no longer look at my body as something to be conquered, but something to be partnered with .  I am only 35, but have been running consistently now for 23 years, so working with my body is a priority if mine if I want to be running for another 23 years.  Tonight I will re-work my dry erase board to modify what I had already planned out for myself, and know that it doesn't put me behind, it just changes my approach.  I am working with myself and not against it to get me to the line in April, with my primary goal of being healthy when I get there.  A partnership dictated in pen is not the way to get myself there, but instead to move ahead with flexibility and moderation, in pencil. 

"It’s better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained when you step up to the start line."