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Habits to break: all of them.
Published on 04/05/08
by Maureen
It’s official. Of the five “Bad Habits” detailed in the article “Habits to Break: These easy fixes to common mistakes will make you a healthier runner” by Kara Mayer Robinson, I take part in… all of them. Let’s start from the top:
#1: “You are your own medic.” Really, google is my medic. After all, isn’t google the solution to everything? I’ve diagnosed IT band problems, “female issues,” pulled muscles and hip tendonitis. Now, there’s a good chance I’ve been wrong, but since doctors aren’t free now that I’m no longer able to go to the college athletic trainer, I fend for myself unless I think I’m in danger of doing permanent damage. Also, a doctor might force me into taking medication, and I’ve never been a fan of that. It gets in the way of my erratic schedules and means I have something else to remember every day.
RWs recommendation See a doctor as soon as you feel nagging pain
My solution: maybe I should hit althetico a bit more often. But there’s no way you’re going to get me to go every time I feel nagging pain. I’ll try not running for a week and if it doesn’t go away, THEN I’ll enlist a trainer.
#2: “You never stretch.” Pretty much. My spin instructor maks me, and last night my running buddies encouraged it. But in general, that’s ten minutes that I could use… eating, doing laundry or writing a blog post about poo. I know I should, I’m part of that instant gratification generation that doesn’t do preventative things if they have to go out of thier way to do them. No real good excuse other than don’t tend to feel like taking the time. Except for today, when I got as far as sitting down on the pavement in the courtyard before I realized Desperate Housewives started in 19 minutes and I wanted a shower. I decided to shower and then stretch. Then I forgot to stretch.
RW’s recommendation: Drop a mile from your run and use that time to stretch
My solution: Really? I’m such an addict. I think I should just actually plan out more running time. Or remember to actually stretch while watching TV.
#3 “You’re a night owl.” Apparently, people function best on 5-10 hours of sleep and runner should be on the high end of that. I’ve compromised to seven or sometimes a little less on weeknights and generally catch up where I can on the weekend. I could probably get eight and feel better, but I can’t bring myself to get in bed at 11 most nights, which is why my pre-work work-outs are getting more sparse. Mostly, it’s not that I’m not tired, just that I want more fuck-around time to read, watch TV, play on te internet, etc.
RW’s recommendation: Log hours of sleep in your training log and note trends to see if you need to sleep more.
My solution: I should probably do that. Or just try to get an extra 15 or 20 minutes if i can.
#4: “You forgo sunscreen.” For running? Damn straight. That’s the only way I get a tan. When I’m going to an outdoor concert or to hang out a the beach all day then yes, but it’s complicated enough to get ready to go running and I don’t think the sweatproof junk really works.
RW’s recommendation: Sweatproof sunscreen, avoid midday runs.
My solution: Maybe for post-work runs I’ll try the sweatproof again.
#5: “You never rest.” I run days a week. I took one week of just two early last month, but that’s the first time I’ve taken fewer since August. It puts me in a better mood, it’s sort of regulatory for my bodily systems, calorie intake, etc. Plus I feel bad about taking days off. Especially if I take a nap on those days which has been happening a lot lately.
RW’s recommendation: Cross-train, do yoga, walk. Or take a day off to get a massage and breakfast with a friend.
My solution: I like that one. If I can convince myself to not run for a few days.
So maybe I should change my habits. I get a little draggy and dread running here and there and maybe this would put a little pep back into my habits.
The run is over. Now what?
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