I am cautious about sounding boastful or privileged when I talk about my running routine. But the reality is that since I started running consistently four years ago, I’ve been running every day. The only exceptions were due to injury—both times I was out for about three weeks. Other than that, I’ve never allowed myself more than a single rest day. If I ever missed a run because of a busy or stressful day, I made sure to run the following day. Missing more than one day of running is simply not an option for me. Even when I spent three days moving from coast to coast, I managed to run. We were staying in a small town motel in the middle of Texas, so I got up early one morning and got a few miles in.
Unfortunately, I’m dealing with an injury now. I hope it’s not serious. It’s been bothering me for over two months—soreness and a dull pain in my inner thigh and groin. I’ve still managed to stick to my routine and had many high-quality long, hard, and fast runs this summer, but the discomfort never went away. Yesterday, I finally had an X-ray and ultrasound done, and am now waiting for the results. Hopefully, it’s not a hernia or something else unpleasant.
Anyway, this week, for the first time in fourteen months (since my last injury), I took a break from running. I ran on Sunday and Monday, then swam on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Three days of no running! It doesn’t sound like much.
You’d think it’s not a lot…
I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but for me, not running for three days in a row is a huge deal. When running every day has been my body’s reality for the past four years, an interruption to my most unbreakable habit feels significant.
Today, I finally went for a run—seven easy miles.
Oh dear, I guess I’m going to sound dramatic after all. While I was running, it felt like I was on a date with my body. Seventy-two hours without running felt like much longer. It was like reuniting with a partner after a long-distance stretch. Our date was extra intimate. I “listened” very carefully to my legs, was extra conscious of my posture, and keenly aware of my breathing and heartbeat, wondering if my heart had lost some of its fitness. Interestingly, my Garmin showed a slight decline in performance, and my heart rate was higher than usual for the effort. The weather wasn’t hot.
Overall, I felt fine during the run. My legs were very rested. But, unfortunately, I still noticed a subtle soreness in my adductor. I can’t even call it “pain.” It was barely noticeable, but I could tell that if I ran longer or faster, the strain would become more pronounced.
I mentioned that I swam during my three-day break from running. I swam a lot—about 400 lanes in total. Just like the previous times I was injured, I did everything I could to maintain my fitness with other exercises.
But nothing can replace running. Physically and mentally, there’s a sense of separation. Your body feels different, even when the break is relatively short and you haven’t lost your form.
So yes, I had a "date" with my body.
Hopefully, I won’t need to go through another round of separation.
***