Rest days and follow the plan!

[Dowat]

It’s said so many times but rest days are sooo important as is sticking with the program. Several times on here people have advised me to have an extra rest day and their advice has paid dividends. Then 10 days ago I made the classic rookie error of running too far, too fast, too hard! Oucha!! I’d done a fab 8k in 52 mins on soft ground, then 2 days later I should have run 5k, as on magic 10 plan, but with failed technology (tracking and ear plugs both failed) I just ploughed on. Very silly me. Ran for 55 mins, must have done at least 7 k, on tarmac and completely exhausted myself. Next day, I was caught in heavy rain downpour and thought ‘ I’ll just run back to car’. ‘ You’re having a laugh,’ said the legs! ‘We ain’t running nowhere!!’ And they were not! Very sore indeed. So, I had to wait 5 days before running again and then they allowed me a slow 4K run yesterday. Lesson learnt: Follow the plan. Slow and steady progress. Im very thankful and relieved not to have ended up on IC for long. Think I was very lucky.

[Tartancat Graduate]

Lesson well learnt!

The trouble is that this running becomes addictive, and you think just one extra little run can't hurt, can it? Easily done!

[Dowat Graduate in reply to Tartancat]

Yep you’re right, it’s so very addictive. I was miserable on the days I thought I should be out running.