Monday, Dec. 27th - time to back off

So what you learn with practice, consistency and commitment is when to back off and let your body rest. I'm at that point. I'm at my strongest point and I'm running faster than ever but as a result, I'm not being very good in terms of discipline and I've been running pretty hard for a few weeks, even though December is my back off month, so it's time to take 1-2 days off. I've also been quite lazy with my pre-run and post-run exercises and I think it caught up with me. I was so strong that I didn't maintain my stretching and stretching especially in key areas focusing on the plantar muscle, Achilles tendon and IT band. I have no current issues but I can feel very early signs of problems if I don't start back doing my exercises.

It's very hard for me to not run but if I don't back off, then I risk potential injury. I have some pain in my left foot and I know exactly what it is so, unlike I use to do in the past, I'm not going to run through this but instead back off. When you are top shape, taking a day or two off really has no impact and you don't lose any fitness, speed or endurance. Conversely, if you don't back off, you risk a debilitating injury.

HHH