Thursday, February 11, 2010

Being Flexible - Again

This week has been one of those where nature and life is conspiring against me:
  • Monday: The day after. My legs tell me they're not really interested in doing a whole lot. I sit on a little rowing machine seat and go back and forth for 45 minutes.
  • Tuesday: Supposed to be an easy 10 miler to shake out the cobwebs. Mother Nature doesn't approve. She sends down torrents of cold rain. I move back and forth for 45 minutes again.
  • Wednesday: Okay my weekly allotment of rowing is finished. Need to get out for Tuesday's 10 miler. Making a living conspires. Important conference call gets scheduled for 3 PM. Can't get out until 4:30 PM. Supposed to cook dinner tonight, so no time for 10 miles beforehand. I guess I'll do Thursday's workout today, move 10 miles to Thursday.
  • Thursday: Keeping my fingers crossed.....

Here's my point - your training plan is just that - a plan. Understand why your training plan is the way it is. Know which of your workout are quality workouts and which are for conditioning. Then, when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, or making a living rears it's ugly head, or family requires you to give some attention to what is *really* important, your training won't suffer. You will be able to stretch and flex and move things around so that you get the benefit of the time that you have instead of stressing about what you can't control. Remember - you own your training plan. Not the other way around.

For example, this week's quality workout for me was hill repeats. Not the easy 10 miler that I couldn' get to. Knowing that, I flexed my schedule and hit my local 1/4 mile 140 foot tall hill off the Back Bay. I put my head down and got the legs moving for 6.5 miles and seven repeats. Got my quality for the week in and got home in time to cook dinner.

On the plan today - Tuesday's 10 miler. It's bright and sunny out, so Mother Nature can't get in the way. I think I'll break my phone.....

10 comments:

  1. You are so right! There are so many days that I have to change the plan because of weather, family, or other things. I hope you have a great run :-)

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  2. Gosh! Sounds like you're having the same kind of week I am! Glad that you can move things around and work it all out! In this end...this is all for fun anyway, right? Extra-curricular, right?!? (...or in my case it saves me on a daily basis from stress overload...so, at some level it is a necessity!) Stay after it, friend! :-)

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  3. Glenn, I just read your last three posts. FANTASTIC race report!!! It made me miss you!

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  4. Glenn-- Geez I have been on a blogging break but went back and read all the posts I missed. I see you have changed your background.

    Congrats on the finishing the half-- I loved your pictures and it looks like you have made quite a few running friends over the years-- great to see!

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  5. I hope you got that 10 miler in today! I am also training for the LA Marathon. I also had one of those this week but blew it off. I have a good reason...I am running my second 20 miler tomorrow. @_@ Talking about it is making me tired.

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  6. I'm way to rigid to be that flexible. Have to work on that.

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  7. Yep, I say it over and over. Own your own plan! It just keeps it more relaxed and fun that way! Don't stress, it all works out.

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  8. flexibility is certainly important. glad you were able to get your quality run in, and hope the 10 went off without a hitch today.

    i tend to be, um, lazy-flexible. "oh i can take today off instead of friday" (usually leads to 2 days off instead of 1). "oh i'll run easy today and do this hard workout tomorrow" (usually leads to no hard workout ever) :) don't follow my lead on those!

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  9. The plan not owning you is a very good statement indeed. My schedule is so messed up, I throw in my runs accordingly to see where it takes me. Im not training for anything right now, so I can afford the flexibility. Great Post.

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