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Last week I went for one of the worst runs of my life, and I spent a lot of it thinking about you.
Wait, let me back up. I don’t mean you were the reason for my terrible run. I mean that
I was wondering how to confess what I’d just realized: Even though I work at a fitness company, talk about fitness, write about fitness, and help other people get fit, fitness doesn’t naturally permeate my entire being. I have to work at it just like everyone else. And I haven’t been.
The bummer was that I’d really been looking forward to this run. I hadn’t been able to
squeeze in a workout for the previous two days. So I left work early, almost succumbed at the last
minute to the sofa and Simpsons reruns, but instead managed to lace up my shoes and head out
into the hot afternoon. And bonked almost immediately. For anyone who hasn’t
experienced the joys of a bonk, it’s what the PowerBar ads tell you not to do—run out of
energy all at once. You get shaky, you’re lightheaded, your judgment is impaired, and you feel
like crap.
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The Plan |
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One reason I’m having trouble sticking with an exercise program is that, although
I’ve tried to work out every day, I haven’t been following a particular training
plan. So I’m taking more of my own advice and letting the pros guide me instead of
trying to reinvent the wheel. I’ve just signed up for Stacy Sims’
intermediate-level sprint-distance triathlon training program. Stacy knows what she’s doing. She completed the Ironman New Zealand in March and qualified for the big one,
Kona. So I figure she can help me get in shape, too. |
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Unfortunately, no. Whatever else I’d been doing, I hadn’t been putting in the miles
myself. And I felt it. But I also felt like I had to keep going, no matter how out of shape I was.
It was a funny thing. Although I was alone on the bike path, I felt as if you—and everyone
else reading this—were with me. It was already bad enough that I’d gotten out of shape
without knowing it. If I gave up and turned around, I’d be letting you down as well.
Taking care of yourself
So, much as I wanted my sofa and TV, I decided to try to reach my usual turnaround point at the
end of the bike path. It seemed to take forever. Eventually I made it. I touched the padlocked
gate at the path’s end to symbolize that I’d actually reached my goal, turned around, and
headed gratefully for home. With the headwind now a tailwind I felt a lot better. I passed a
jackrabbit nibbling the well-groomed lawn of a brand-new high-tech company and hoped this was an
omen that I’d have more speed in the future.
“Well,” I said, somewhat embarrassed, “it’s not really going. I’m coaching everyone else and not training myself.”
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Don’t Bonk |
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Avoid the bonk! To be properly fueled you need to stay hydrated, which means drinking at
least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (more is better). In addition, you need to eat
a well-balanced diet including quality proteins and carbs, with as many whole grains,
vegetables, and fruits as possible. A PowerBar or other energy bar 45 minutes before your
workout will help a lot too, especially if you haven’t eaten for a few hours. Feed
your body the right stuff. Don’t find out the hard way! |
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“You know,” Brooks said, “the same thing happened to me. It’s almost impossible
to coach and keep up your own training at the same time. The only person I knew who did was my
predecessor at Stanford, Payton Jordan, and he was phenomenal. But for most of us, if we try to do
both, they both end up suffering.”
“Well, that makes me feel better,” I said. “If people like you have a tough time, no
wonder I do.”
“It’s pretty common,” he agreed. “But take my advice and don’t neglect
your own training. You’ll be sorry.”
It’s easier said than done. But there’s one more thing to keep in mind. Just because
I’ve missed some workouts doesn’t mean I can’t start again. I can always
start again. Any of us can. And I will. I owe it to you—and to myself.
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