“Forget the numbers, go by how you feel”. This is something I always tell my friends and clients when they talk about their weight loss goals. Sometimes I change it up and say ” go by how your clothes fit”, but the point remains the same. The human body can play tricks on us by fluctuating throughout a single day, thanks to this awesome thing called water weight. Muscle weighs more than fat, so increased physical activity can lead to larger numbers on the scale. Scales themselves are often not completely accurate either. For all these reasons, and countless more, I encourage people not to use body weight as the primary measure of success or healthfulness.
During my five mile run yesterday morning, I came up with another instance for which numbers don’t tell the whole story. After a busy and active weekend (we will return to regulary scheduled, non-running -related recap shortly), I had a hard time getting out of bed when the alarm rang. It took a while for me to warm up as well, and I definitely felt like I was pushing my body hard just to run instead of walking. At points I felt like I was speed-walking (and probably I looked like it too). Sure enough, every time I looked down at my watch, my pace was closer to eleven minutes per mile, even though I had done this exact same route the week before with much more speed and much less effort. I got frustrated and dejected, and came up with all sorts of excuses as to the causes: it was hotter and more humid now, I was more tired, my body is worn out from another week of training, last week was just a fluke, and I really am just as slow as I was when I started running almost two years ago. The pity party lasted about two minutes until I decided to tell myself to ignore the pace and just go with how I felt. My heart was beating fast (in a good way), I was drenched in sweat (S-E-X-Y!), and whatever I was doing was better than skipping a day of training. The watch isn’t 100% accurate when it comes to predicting current pace anyway, and its important to learn how to listen to your body. To quote Tom Petty “Some days are diamonds. Some days are rocks”. Sometimes you just have to remember that and do your best anyway. Control what you can and forget the rest (but don’t forget TO rest once in a while).
The good news? My average pace for the run was ten minutes, eleven seconds per mile, which is definitely faster than just about any run I did last summer. I definitely got a burst of energy and speed right after I stopped for water at Mile 4, and ended up acheiving negative splits. And I only stopped twice, once at the turnaround point to stretch, and once for the water, which is better than my last run when I had to stop at every mile. Overall, I really do feel and see how much of a better and stronger runner I have become and can’t wait to see what the next 21 weeks of marathon training will uncover. I also loved that I used the foam roller right after my run yesterday and my knees felt great the rest of the day. It works! It really works!!
Today calls for cross-training, so tonight co-worker Lorna and I will be doing yoga in Times Square . Cross your fingers for no rain! Even though my knees felt fine yesterday, they feel a bit tight today, so I am looking forward to getting stretched out (and to the possibility of a free yoga mat and goody bag of course, as long as I’m one of the first 1,000 people there! ). I woke up this morning still exhausted, so am definitely looking forward to a much-needed rest day tomorrow. And to blogging about some exercise-related activities as well…you know you’re pumped too!
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