Listen to Your Body

Recently I've talked about setting goals and making a plan to reach those goals. Now I'd like to touch on when to listen to your body and when to ignore it. This can be tricky.

First there is listening to your body while you are working out. If you're working hard then you will be feeling discomfort. This is normal and good. It means you are making your body stronger. But what if it's more than discomfort and actual bad pain? Like injury pain. It can be difficult to tell the difference unless you have experienced both. I think possibly the only way to know you're pushing your body too far is if you have actually done it before. And let me tell you from experience, that is not fun. Injuries suck!

It was my sophomore year of high school during track season. We were doing some crazy workout we had never done before. If I remember correctly, it was something like run 2 miles, do a couple time trials on the track, then run 2 or 3 more miles. At some point after the time trials, the arches of my feet started to hurt. I tried to ignore it and push through. I finished the workout, but my feet were screwed. I fell to the side of the track and yanked my shoes off trying not to cry from the pain. My arches were swollen and throbbing like crazy. I'm still not certain what exactly happened, but that injury has plagued me ever since. (Until this year, however, and I will get to that in a moment.) After that practice, I would ice my feet every night when I got home. Imagine me sitting doing my homework with my feet in a 5 gallon bucket of ice water. Very cold! I got shoe insoles and would wrap my arches before every practice and meet. With injuries, one thing can quickly lead to another if the first problem is not taken care of completely. I did not take enough time off, nor did I see a doctor about my foot problem. A few months later I had a hip problem. I think I must have changed my stride to compensate for my feet hurting and it starting pinching a nerve or something in my hips. The hip thing actually kept me from competing at the state track meet my junior year. I was taking 4 ibuprofen before I ran, and it still hurt like crazy.

Now that I'm a little older and wiser...I know it's not good to take ibuprofen before you workout. Bad for your kidney, or liver...or some important internal organ. I also know that if my feet ever start to hurt like they did that day at track practice to STOP IMMEDIATELY! I think my hip problem was probably a combination of tight and/or weak hip flexor muscles, and possibly weak glute and hamstrings too. When you're 16 years old you think you're invincible though.

This past year I started running full time in Vibram FiveFingers. I freaking love them! I own 3 pairs and I'm on my second pair of Bikilas. They just came out with a new style, called the Lontra, that is designed for cold weather. I would love a pair because my feet get cold very easily. I bought special socks so I'm hoping it will be enough. I don't want to spend $150 on a new pair of shoes. Anyway...I have had no major  injuries since I started running in them. That's kind of a big deal. I'm also running farther and faster than ever before. **I have to say that they may not be for everyone and you have to take it slow increasing your mileage. They do not provide support like a traditional running shoe so your body has to do more of the work. If you're not careful, you can injure yourself from overusing muscles that aren't used to the workload.**

The second way you need to listen to your body with getting enough rest. I always put some wiggle room in my workout schedule in case I need to move stuff around. I may be really busy one day, or up late the night before and need to do a workout a different day. This is ok! If you are tired from work, staying up late too many nights in a row, or just life in general, your workout may suffer. There are times that I suck it up and do it because I don't have much other choice, but it is always important to listen to your body. Rest comes before exercise in my book. Your body is already taxed if it is not getting adequate rest, and a strenuous workout will only make you more susceptible to illness.

Exciting news: Sometime in the next month I will have a guest post! More to come later!

Cavegirl Runner