By: STUFTmama
I’ve always said I learn something new not only after I cross each finish line, but also in the process of getting to the finish line. This past year in particular, I feel like I really learned that racing too much might just not be the best idea.
This was me after The TCS New York City Marathon. It was my 11th Marathon of 2014. Man oh man was it a tough one both mentally and physically. Going into the race I thought I was ready to finish off the year strong, but given the crazy environmental conditions and just being worn down mentally and physically from too much racing I was in a serious survival mode the last six miles. I just wanted to cross that finish line and be really ready to just give myself a break. That was a little over three months ago and I’ve been on a bit of a break since then and to be quite honest still need a bit more time to get my mojo back.
We’ve all been there. You fight the mental fight during the marathon and finally cross that finish line and vow to not run another race for a very long time. Then a few short hours later you’re looking for the next race to sign up for and focus your training on. I think it’s just part of our competitive thinking.
We all have good races and bad races. For me, I got a little overzealous when I was racing and finishing strong and could race again just a couple weeks later. It was nice actually to not put too much pressure on myself for a single race because I knew I had another one just a few weeks away.
It all started out fine and even with a few PRs back to back. My current PR actually happened at The Big Sur International Marathon just six days after The Boston Marathon.
But then the whole mental and physical aspects caught up with me. It was probably more mental than physical actually, because those are harder for me to detect and address.
Let’s just say some people are cut out to race a lot. Sure, I really thought I could be as cool as Dean Karnazes, but I was mistaken. I’m just not as cool as him. He did call me “sister” as he passed me during the Kauai Marathon though, and as far as I’m concerned we’re pretty great friends. Ha.
Moving forward this year and in the future, I’m keeping these few lessons in mind.
The first one is courtesy of my husband. “Don’t be a hero.”
It’s okay not racing every single race. It’s also really important to give yourself time to recover physically and mentally after a race, whether you do great or just really crappy. The recovery is important no matter what.
Embrace some down time and find that mojo.
I’m doing that right now actually. I’m currently not running for a couple weeks to let some hip issues, hopefully get a bit better, but I’m finally taking a little pressure off myself and embracing other things in life. I can’t wait to run again in the next week or so, but I can’t wait because I love it, not because I feel like I really have to focus on an upcoming race.
Recovery and rest are just as important as the racing and the hard training days. They are two major pieces of the whole puzzle.
I have some big races coming up this year, but I’m tackling them a bit differently. The Boston Marathon and The Big Sur International Marathon are far enough away for me to be race ready. I’m taking things one day and one race at a time this year and not so much going for quantity, but rather for the love of the sport and for good quality races. That might not mean the best times, but that I leave my best out there on the pavement. I will put my heart and my soul into the races I do race this year.
Kristin (STUFTmama) is a 3:17 marathoner who has completed 19 full marathons. She is an ACE certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer and physical education teacher. Her five year old twin boys keep her busy and she blogs over at stuftmama.com .