Stressin’
Before my blog begins, I want to once again invite you to the Runners’ Book Club, Vol. II. We’re reading My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso. Even if you can’t finish it before our meeting, I encourage you to read as much as you can and join us. Yasso’s book is funny and inspiring. Put it on your calendar: October 6 at 8th Street Grille.
Stress gets a bad rap. Stress is what makes our training work. When you run, you’re stressing your body. The duress you place on your muscles is what makes them stronger. These stronger muscles only show up during the recovery period after the stress.
I’ve had a few poor runs lately, and I was kind of concerned. After all, my marathon is in a few weeks. Then I thought about how much stress I’ve been placing on my body.
Of course I’ve got the running miles, 50-60 per week. I have been a little discouraged, though, because I usually target 70 as my peak during a marathon build-up. Then I realized that I’m not only running. I canceled my car insurance and have been biking to work. So I’ve been running 50-60 miles and also biking 50-ish miles each week. That helped me to be a little more confident of my training.
Something was still nagging me, though. I still felt like my runs were flatter than they should be. It took my biannual taper clinic for me to figure it out. The physical stress is only half of the equation.
School just started again, and it coincided with some the peak of my training. So, I’ve hit my max mileage and added the mental/emotional stress of a new school year.
Many people don’t realize that your body accepts physical and emotional stress in similar ways. When you’re recovering from a hard workout, stress is stress. It doesn’t matter if it is a tempo run or new class to organize and plan for.
My goal in the upcoming weeks (my taper) is to eliminate as many physical and emotional stressors as possible. The physical stresses are easier to deal with. I’ll carpool a few days a week to reduce the bike miles, and gradually cut back my running miles like normal.
The mental stressors are a little bit trickier to avoid. Part of it will be planning a little further out in my classes. I’ll work on adding detail to my lesson plans for the next month or so. Having a plan will reduce some of this stress.
The big stress of this new school year is all of the change. There are a myriad of changes to structures and technology at school. I’ll work on looking at the positive changes to try to reduce the stress. Attitude is key. Maybe I’ll tack the Serenity Prayer up in a prominent place.
Finally, sleep is key to dealing with stress. During the remainder of my taper, I’ll strive to increase my sleep stores. This is when the body recovers from and rebuilds the damage caused by stress.
I hope reading about my stress strategies helps you examine your life and your training. Take it easy.
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