Day 21 of 300 - Listening to my body
I walked into the gym today feeling drained and after 24 minutes, I decided to pull the plug early, stopping at just 3 kilometers. It felt like a failed session.
But Garmin tells a different story.
Yesterday, I set a new personal record with an average pace of 8:25 /km. Today, despite feeling worse, I ran at 8:08 /km.
I didn’t stop because I was weak; I stopped because I was running 17 seconds per kilometer faster than my best effort. My body gave me a burst of speed, but it didn’t have the energy to sustain it for the full distance.
The Stats:
- Distance: 3.01 km
- Time: 24:30
- Pace: 8:08 /km
Today’s run felt like an interrogation. I spent every minute probing, looking for a green light, but the signals were chaotic. I think I also looked for any signal to quit.
One moment, the rhythm felt sustainable - this is fine, keep going. The next, I was fighting down a wave of nausea. Then came the structural warning: a sharp, specific twinge in the calf that whispered of injury.
I usually try to bargain with discomfort, to negotiate for “just one more minute, push.”. But today, the internal monologue wasn’t a debate. It was a verdict. My body didn’t say “slow down.” It said “Stop.”
And for the first time in a long time, I listened. Another session awaits tomorrow.
Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter, chat to me on mastodon or follow my blog in your favourite RSS reader.