I am actually *borrowing* this quote from one of Emily's old-school, vintage t-shirts. But I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly!
Sometimes, music IS all it takes...at least in running and Craig's life, I have found that it is!
Craig's love of music began when he was a baby when Mom and Dad bought him a "tape deck" on which to play their tapes for him. Even though he was blind, they knew he could enjoy using his other senses, especially his hearing. Their idea was worth more than anything in this world because nothing energizes and revives Craig's spirit more than music. No matter if it's Whitney Houston or Barney singing, Craig becomes extremely verbal with a lot of "hey"s, and "yeah-yeah-yeah"s! Music simply makes Craig happy!
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I once was a runner that never laced-up without also having an i-Pod in hand. But in the past year or so, I've left the music at home on runs. I found that by not listening to music while I was training, I was able to "feel" my effort and cadence, and be more in-tune with my body and what it was telling me.
Most post-marathon plans prescribe no running at all for at least 5-7 days, and then a return to racing 6 weeks later, at the very earliest (I'm certainly cutting it close with the next Marathon about 5 weeks away now). And even though during recovery it is crucial to listen to your body just like in training, it's also a time to return to relaxed running for a bit...to take the serious-ness out.
Recovery from Chicago has been somewhat of an up-and-down journey. After taking 5 complete days of rest, I began with a run that was broken down into two parts, each around 2.5 miles. Overall it went well, even though it was hard to run any faster than about a 9:45-10:10 mile...but that was expected on the first day back. In fact, that Saturday was actually the first day I had wanted to run again because I had felt so wiped out. But over this last week, my runs haven't really felt a whole better. The effort that it takes to run 4 miles, now feels like the effort that was required for a long run a few weeks ago. Recovery has just been tough...mentally and emotionally. My physical self isn't quite ready to turn on all the engines yet for more training, yet my heart wants it to. I'm pretty sure all this adds up to a little "post-marathon-blues" because I've felt a loss of motivation, too. So, my prescription is still the same...continue to run easy, not pushing my pace, not pushing the distance build-up too soon, etc.
BUT, enter music...
On my 5th day back to running, I decided to take my i-Pod out with me...and what a difference music makes! I'm convinced that's all it takes sometimes! This particular run was my first 6-miler since the marathon. I was (honestly--and I know this is negative) not very hopeful that it would turn out to be a "good" run, just like the others up to this point. But 52 minutes later, I came back feeling like a different person...energized...refreshed...renewed...re-acquainted with my previous runner-self! From the moment I pressed play, to rounding the corner back to my house, the music was my weapon!
Craig had it figured out already!
Craig's love of music began when he was a baby when Mom and Dad bought him a "tape deck" on which to play their tapes for him. Even though he was blind, they knew he could enjoy using his other senses, especially his hearing. Their idea was worth more than anything in this world because nothing energizes and revives Craig's spirit more than music. No matter if it's Whitney Houston or Barney singing, Craig becomes extremely verbal with a lot of "hey"s, and "yeah-yeah-yeah"s! Music simply makes Craig happy!
---
I once was a runner that never laced-up without also having an i-Pod in hand. But in the past year or so, I've left the music at home on runs. I found that by not listening to music while I was training, I was able to "feel" my effort and cadence, and be more in-tune with my body and what it was telling me.
Most post-marathon plans prescribe no running at all for at least 5-7 days, and then a return to racing 6 weeks later, at the very earliest (I'm certainly cutting it close with the next Marathon about 5 weeks away now). And even though during recovery it is crucial to listen to your body just like in training, it's also a time to return to relaxed running for a bit...to take the serious-ness out.
Recovery from Chicago has been somewhat of an up-and-down journey. After taking 5 complete days of rest, I began with a run that was broken down into two parts, each around 2.5 miles. Overall it went well, even though it was hard to run any faster than about a 9:45-10:10 mile...but that was expected on the first day back. In fact, that Saturday was actually the first day I had wanted to run again because I had felt so wiped out. But over this last week, my runs haven't really felt a whole better. The effort that it takes to run 4 miles, now feels like the effort that was required for a long run a few weeks ago. Recovery has just been tough...mentally and emotionally. My physical self isn't quite ready to turn on all the engines yet for more training, yet my heart wants it to. I'm pretty sure all this adds up to a little "post-marathon-blues" because I've felt a loss of motivation, too. So, my prescription is still the same...continue to run easy, not pushing my pace, not pushing the distance build-up too soon, etc.
BUT, enter music...
On my 5th day back to running, I decided to take my i-Pod out with me...and what a difference music makes! I'm convinced that's all it takes sometimes! This particular run was my first 6-miler since the marathon. I was (honestly--and I know this is negative) not very hopeful that it would turn out to be a "good" run, just like the others up to this point. But 52 minutes later, I came back feeling like a different person...energized...refreshed...renewed...re-acquainted with my previous runner-self! From the moment I pressed play, to rounding the corner back to my house, the music was my weapon!
Craig had it figured out already!
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