I'm training for my sixth marathon right now, and if you're reading this, there's a good chance you're training for something too. After the shut down of races in 2020, I think all of us are more excited than ever to FINALLY race again.
Whether you're coming back from pandemic-burn-out, injury or training after taking a longgg pandemic sized break from racing, there's a chance that you've had some hard workouts lately.
SO I wanted to talk about hard workouts with you, because the idea of a hard workout feeling REALLY hard truly scares the bejesus out of a lot of us. My clients will report back on their training, "That was HARD!.... I couldn't hit my pace.... or.... I couldn't do the last set... or.... my legs felt tired!"
Listen, homie, can we say this together?! - "IT'S OKAY FOR WORKOUTS TO BE HARD. I AM HUMAN. I AM NOT A MACHINE."
In fact, I think if you're really frustrated with yourself after a hard workout, it shows that you have a lot of work to do on mindset. And you need to do that work STAT cause running is SUCH a mental sport.
Can we talk about reasons your legs may feel tired? Your body may feel fatigued? So we can normalize it!? And then let's talk about what you can do to support your body.
Overall training load - Yeah, its your easy day, and your legs are tired, and you're annoyed... but can we look at your overall training intensity/volume?? Are you doin' a lot?? Cause if ya are... then maybe that's why you're tired. Yes, even if its an "easy" workout - overall stress matters more than that one isolated workout
Overall life stress- MMMHMMMMM. Of course, we are going to talk about the nervous system! Running, as amazing as those endorphins feel, stresses our nervous system. So if life has been throwing rotten tomatoes at ya - family stuff, financial stuff, not enough sleep stuff, stressful stuff... then it makes sense that even an easy workout is taxing for you. You need to chill, homie.
Your cycle- That dang thang. If you're PMSing, it's okay to feel like workouts are harder. You're inflamed girlfrand. Schedule some easier workouts, add lots of omega 3 fats to your plate, and just have grace with yourself.
Its just a bad day - Hey, sometimes, just randomly, you have a cruddy day. Don't freak out. The patterns & the trends matter, not one isolated workout.
THE HEAT & HUMIDITY- It just makes us feel horrible. Even when we've acclimated to the heat, we are going to feel slower & heavier. Just slow down your paces & train. AND HYDRATE.
What challenges you, changes you - Sometimes a workout is supposed to be hard! That last lap, that tempo pace, that really long run??? It's okay for it to be hard. Its challenging you and therefore its changing you.
Okay, so now that we've calmeddd down & realized that its NORMAL to have hard runs - let's talk about how to support your body!
Eating enough - If you're not eating enough, then, yes, you're going to feel chronically fatigued, hungry & sore. You need nutrients & calories to recover, to reduce inflammation & to keep hormones in check.
Eating at the right time- Did you know that the timing of nutrition plays a huge role in recovery?
Hydration - Um, yes, you are going to feel horrible if you're dehydrated. Hydrating on a daily basis and during your performance is going to make a HUGE difference in how you feel.
Managing your nervous system - My nutrition coaching program IS NOT JUST ABOUT FOOD. Because, guess what?? All the food in the world won't make you healthy if you're stressed out & burnt out. Please, please, please build a healthy foundation for your training with sleep, stress management and boundaries.
Listening to your body - I have been running for TWENTY YEARS. And I can tell you from a lotttt of years of experience that ignoring your body is NOT going to help you feel better. Do ya have an ache? A pain? A feeling? Then listen to it! Honor it! Reach out for HELP! It will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Honestly - I think the biggest lesson I've learned after twenty years of running is realizing that I have to adjust my life when my training load increases/intensifies. When I was 21, I'd do a long run, ignore a nagging pain & skip meals to save calories to binge drink, & then I was confused when I felt like poop, was constantly injured & binge eating. LOL. Um, because I wasn't taking care of myself.
Obviously, the college lifestyle isn't an option at this point in my life, but I see women burning the candles at both ends ALL THE TIME. Working, mommying, cleaning, best-friending, maid-of-honoring, entrepreneuring, wife-ing, girlfriending, volunteering WHILE adding more and more miles to their week. You need to learn how to set boundaries, stop controlling food & start TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. I know it sounds easier said than done, but that's because you need & deserve HELP while you learn how to PRIORITIZE yourself.
And that's what I'm here for. I'm here to hold your hand and tell ya what to eat & help you stop overloading your schedule. It's okay to ask for help. In fact, it feels FREAKIN AMAZING to ask for help. Curious about working together? Click here & let's set up a time to chat on the phone for 20-30 minutes about whether I can help ya <3