Down Time Rant

I'm not naming names. If you are reading this and think I'm talking about you, maybe you should take an extra day off of running just to be sure I'm not. Sort of like that Carly Simon song.

I just don't get why some people have jumped right back into marathon training mode. For those of us who ran Boston/Nashville, today is just now the 15th/10th day post-marathon. Some of my teammates are back to running 10+ miles a day and are already at 60/70 mile weeks. Forget the 10-15 days post-marathon, they were right back at it within a few days of their race. WTF? Well, really I get that there are reasons they have started running so much, but those are issues they can work out for themselves.

Most everyone I know who ran Boston/Nashville raced for a PR and gave their full effort or were forced to deal with hot weather that also took a toll on their bodies. These are also people whose idea of a taper...oh wait, we're calling a taper a 'peak phase' because we're not really lowering our mileage all that much...is running 40-60 miles all the way up through the week of the marathon. Umm...have these people forgotten that your body and mind must rest after a big race? All major athletes take a break. 10 days (or less) isn't really a break.

I get that everyone has their own needs and everyone gets to start back at their own pace and mileage levels. I get that we all have to start running again soon and that the 'high mileage' is part of the game. What I don't get is why people's actions don't reflect what has been told to us over the years....you cannot run an 'A' race over and over every 6 months (or in this case less than 6 months if you count from December to April). Why the hell are people jumping back in to a high load 10-15 days post PR marathon? WTF?

Running is awesome. Running at a particular training intensity must also be respected (mentally and physically). In my opinion (and if you are upset about this post so far because you know I'm talking about your last 10-15 days, why don't you just go ahead and ignore this next part), heavy legs, tiredness, any of that crap at this point in the season is just asking for trouble later in August. Why in the world should any of us feel tired 10-15 days post-marathon? We should feel rejuvenated, refreshed, ready to start back at the higher intensity in the coming weeks.

I'm just sayin'. I'm doing my thing and what's best for me. It is hard to see time and time again how people get tired, injured, and a little pissy come mid-July. They wonder why running is not as enjoyable as it should be. The answer is this - Your mind and body are tired because you never took that break like you were supposed to.

Rant, rant, rant.No one wants to hear about how much people are training right now. Our official training program hasn't started for a reason. It's much better to enjoy running later in the season because you took your break than to enjoy running now and pay for it later.

Whatever...I'm gonna go on vacation. I'm gonna run some. I'm also gonna lie on a chair and do the 'Sadie version' of eating bon bons. When I get back from vacation I will hopefully be rested enough to train full force again with the high miles and enjoy it as much as I did last season.