Runners Forum - Kick Runners banner

Family support

2K views 41 replies 22 participants last post by  theia 
My wife is very supportive, she also will note when she thinks I'm doing something stupid or overtraining. I generally don't believe her and she often turns out to be right. She is especially perceptive when a race is kind of creeping me out because I'm worried about getting hurt and will help me talk myself out of it.<br><br>
I've gotten hurt a lot over the years and have frequently tried to hide it from her, generally without much success...
 
I have been reading this forum for a year and have seen case after case of people ignoring all sorts of advice regarding rest and the need for periodization in training. The response is generally along the lines of "my training progra on this sheet of paper says X" . Stick around long enough and you get a ringside seat for countless overuse injuries, stress fractures, illnesses, etc.<br><br>
That said, you may well not be overdoing it. Just bear in mind that working out twice a day used to be for only the most serious athletes, it's a lot of time and work and should be treated with respect, even if the workouts don't seem overly "hard".
 
I think the one thing that seems to be a common chord in many of the overuse cases is extending the base building phase for an interminable period, perhaps due to a late season ironman event. At some point "something has to give" and for most people, 8 big weeks a year should be plenty, it's just a question of where those weeks fall and how the rest of the year is structured. If one is stuck in the "mile counting" mentality, it's easy to lose sight of every single other training variable in the equation and just heap more and more volume on the body until injury or illness forces a rest.<br><br>
For any of us ametuer athletes, there should not be a huge feeling of burnout at the conclusion of the season and a great need for rest--we just don't race all that much and feeling sick of racing to the extent that we want to just take a month off is really an indication that perhaps one's training preogram has degenerated into a daily grind.
 
This is an interesting thread. After having kids I had to scale back my aspirations a bit and look for ways to combine family time and racing in a way that wasn't lousy for my family. For the most part it has worked out nicely, but on the same token has forced me to become more efficient with my training and select races that are not too arduous. I do feel a longing sometimes for the freedom I used to have and the longer harder races, but that means spending the weekend in some crummy hotel with a bunch of men rather than doing something w/ my family. When I start to dwell, I remind myself of how lucky I am.
 
I worship my wife, she is the love of my life and my light. I would never want to put her in a situation where she would feel insecure. I doubt I'd train with a woman, even if I could find one that ran as slow as me, just for this reason. We signed up for a life together, if our actions don't underscore a real adoration and mutual respect, then we have something that needs repair.<br><br>
I am very lucky and I know it. My wife, maybe she's somewhat less lucky...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top