Some days will be better than others

Whew! Today was a difficult day for me to exercise. It should not come as a surprise that I felt so sluggish this morning. Yesterday was a peak performance day for me. I felt good and I ran hard, beating my best three-mile run for time since I returned to a regular routine. Therefore, it should not be a big surprise that I struggled some the next day.

This is what I was writing about two days ago when I offered several suggestions about getting in shape. Speaking of difficult days, I said:

• Some days will be better than others. When the bad days come, slow down your pace. Your goal is to finish. Most bad days are the result of progress. I know most of my soreness usually comes after a long run or after I moved up a notch in my training routine. Bad days are expected. I think they show signs of progress.

Well, I had to follow my own advice this morning by slowing down my pace. Actually, my run became a jog and then my jog became a walk. After walking for three minutes I picked up the pace and returned to my regular stride.

On difficult days I have one goal—that is, to finish. Days like today you just stick it out. You don’t push it. You don’t press. You just finish. And today, all I could do was finish. But when you finish, you feel good. You feel like you accomplished something.

So beware! Bad days will come. There will be some mornings you feel tired or sore or parts of your body that you did not know existed will hurt. When those days come, hang on, complete your routine, and celebrate the fact that you did not quit.

Tomorrow I take my first day off for the week. I will be resting up for Friday. Friday is my long run day. Last Friday I ran four miles for the first time in a long time. This Friday I might go for five miles. I will just have to wait and see how my body feels.
For those of you walking or running your way back into shape, stay the course.