Right now, this is my view
Spirit of the Marathon loading on Netflix and a bowl of oatmeal with frozen blueberries drizzled in honey, my favorite.
I have this weird thing where I will wake up after four hours of sleep. I usually don't knock back out unless I'm super tired of I'm in vacation, and I guess last night I was neither super duper tired- just tired, or in vacation. I slept pretty early, for me that means anytime before 3 am, but I still woke up 4 hours later and I couldn't sleep. But I woke up sore. I forget that for me when I do P90x arms & shoulders the soreness doesn't kick in till a couple of days later. The push ups? Thats like after the first one, haha! But I woke up and my entire upper body was, and still is, sore. I was thinking of doing yoga, but I remembered this quote:
Activity isn't always progress; sometimes it's just activity. Rest is always rest
-Bob Goff
Bog Goff is neither a runner or a P90x-er. But he is one of the most inspiring person I know. He does a lot of philantrophic work and really has a heart after the people. If you want to learn more about him, "Friend" him on Facebook or add him on Twitter.
Anyway, was thinking about that quote and how its true. As a runner, I love being out there and running. There are days when I don't want to be out there, there are days when I have to push myself to be out there, but I love it. Same applies to working out, I always feel the need to be busy. To be doing something, anything just to be out there.
But there is truth in that: activity isn't always progress. Sometimes when we do something (run too much, work out too much, or other things that isn't related to fitness) we can be doing more harm than good. This quote is a great reminder that a little down time is a good thing. That recovery time is necessary so we don't waste all our hard work. Its also good for the mind.
I'm a type of person who will run to get her mind off things, and my mind has been on a lot of things lately. I'm learning that running to resolve those things isn't a bad thing, but endorphins doesn't replace rest. The peace of mind that comes after running doesn't replace an honest talk. Resolution doesn't come after mile 10, but it comes when we learn to face it head on. So while I still run to get my mind off things, I also rest to get my mind of things, with the knowledge that neither those two things alone will resolve anything, but they sure help me a lot. Resting to get my mind of things for me is like watching Spirit of the Marathon; it always gets me bawling, and its inspirational movies like this that make me happy, gives my legs a rest, & still motivates me like I'm training. Have you seen the movie? Its on Netflix. I dare you to watch it and not get inspired! But its true, rest is a big part of training.
Sure its just yoga, but I know my body will appreciate this rest from working out and that means I'll be fresher for my hilly half this weekend. I could have been like "screw it" and worked out my arms & shoulders again and be miserable this weekend and actually didn't help myself since my muscles didn't have enough time to recover. So I think this morning's alternative is a very good thing. Oatmeal, blueberries, honey, & Spirit of the Marathon.
