Last night I laid out my running gear…
for the 8km Re-Frigee-Eighter race!
My directions were printed…
I had my customary Japanese Sencha green tea:
Full with new tunes!
Despite all of my delicious eats in Toronto yesterday, I woke up with quite an appetite!
Pre-Race Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 t vanilla
- pinch of sea salt
Toppings:
- Sucanat
- Dark chocolate chips
- Cashew Butter
The Sucanat melts when it is warm and it acts like maple syrup!
Pure heaven!
Game Time Decision
Despite what my BRAIN was telling me to do (run that race!!!!!), the little voice inside of me (aka the gut instinct) told me NOT to run the race.
Here is what my brain was rationalizing to me:
- You need to run your first race of the year!
- The weather is beautiful
- You’ll feel great once you are running
- You will have something fun to blog about
- You need to prove to yourself that you can still race (??? lol…isn’t it weird what we tell ourselves sometimes?!)
And here is what my GUT INSTINCT was saying:
- Your body feels off today and it might not be a good idea to race
- Your hamstrings are still a bit sore from your strength workout on Thursday
- You don’t have that URGE to race today
- Don’t do it…there are plenty more races to run
At first, I tried to ignore my instinct. I thought I would be fine and there was no reason to doubt that I could race today. I packed up my stuff and prepared to leave.
But then I really started to think about it:
- My stomach felt nauseous (this is actually very atypical of me before a race)
- I was dreading the 1 hour drive to the race, sign up, drive home, etc.
- My legs felt weak
When I think back about all of the poor situations I have gotten myself into over the years, it happened usually because I IGNORED my gut instinct. When I listen to the instinct it never fails me- ever.
Today I decided to listen to that instinct and not run the race, despite really wanting to.
I actually caught myself thinking about what others might think if I skipped the race (maybe they won’t think I am dedicated or that I am lazy?). Then it hit me how crazy these thoughts were! I shouldn’t do things because I compare myself to what others are doing, I should do them for ME and my current situation.
I went in to tell the Sleeping Beauties (Eric and Sketchie) and Eric mumbled half asleep, ‘I’m so happy you are going to be home with me.’ and proceeded to pass out. It was so cute. :mrgreen: I love my boys.
As I grow and learn more about myself, I realize how crucial it is to listen to my instinct. I also refuse to let myself feel badly for doing what is right for my body. I don’t think it is a coincidence that I felt this way yesterday and I felt this way today. I think my body just wanted a complete break from everything this weekend.
Do you try to be in tune with that little voice inside your head? Are there any times when you listened to it and you think it saved you from a poor situation- or when you didn’t listen to it and you got yourself into some trouble?
The example that stands out the most for me is my pelvic injury last January 2009. I got up before work and had a 3 mile planned run. I started to run despite feeling an odd pain in my groin area. The little voice said to me, ‘This is not cool, you need to get off the treadmill.’ but I ignored it, stubbornly, and ran those 3 miles. When I got off the treadmill, I could barely walk and was consequently out of exercise entirely for a full 2 months.
I also listened to my gut when I left my job and started up Glo bakery.
Moral of the story– use your gut instinct to your advantage, it is there for a reason. I think society sort of ‘trains’ women to ignore it- do this, do that, not this, not that– but I am certainly my happiest when I listen to my instinct.
~~~
USA Vs. Canada Hockey Game tonight- you are watching RIGHT?!? :mrgreen:
awesome post! i totally believe that your gut feeling is there for a reason, so i almost almost always listen when it shows up. but there are definitely times when i have difficulty telling the difference between self-doubt and a gut feeling.
p.s. your hair is looking amazing lately! you coooould even say you’re glowing. :)
Oh I’ve been there WAY TOO MANY TIMES!! I’ve learned that now I need to wait till race day or day before to register for an event and if its sold out, then its my fault. I bet you could go run 8k on your own later and feel great! And no 1 hr drive to do it. Cheers!
LC
Angela I think it’s great you listened to your gut instinct. What good would the race have been if you had done it but been miserable the whole time? Instead you spent the morning with your two ‘favorite boys’ which in my opinion, was a MUCH better use of your time, and energy! ;)
Oh I wish I would have listened to my gut instinct when it yelled at me to back away from this guy I thought was just too much trouble. I stayed with him and it was the biggest heartbreaking 7 wasted years of my life.
Now if it so much as even twitches I’m all ears! Tuning in is crucial.
That oatmeal looks delicious! And I agree, sometimes it’s really necessary to listen to that voice in your gut.
Ok, Eric is adorable. :)
I read this post right before embarking on my 8 mile training run. I walked about a half mile as a warm up, and though my IT band felt tight at the start, it loosened up, so I started to run. Almost immediately, I started feeling shooting pains up and down both shins, and my knee got achy again. I remembered your post, and stopped to listen to my gut. My body was BEGGING me not to run, and while I feel the need to train, I don’t want to be injured for my half marathon in Orlando, FL in two weeks, so I switched to walking on an incline for the rest of the workout.
I feel like a ‘slacker’ for not getting all my training runs in, especially because the friends I am running with have all had long runs of 11-12.5 miles, and I’ve only gotten up to 7. But my gut knows that it is better to take more time off and be able to run for the half, than to push it and not be able to participate at all!
Unfortunately, my gut is also telling me that this won’t be better in 2 weeks. I’m seeing a sports therapist tomorrow to see what else I can do for my knee. But I know I will need to listen to my gut and body for the next 2 weeks so that I don’t put myself out of commission entirely!
Thanks for the reminder, dear. XOXO
It’s definitely harder at times to listen to yourself than to all the voices for what you “think” others will say, but it’s worth it. Glad you listened to your intuition today
I try to listen to my gut, but of course the ‘man I should have listened’ moments are what stand out in my mind. But I think those are necessary because it just reminds us that your woman’s intuition is right more often than not :)
Such a good post Angela! That’s so great you’ve learned to listen to that little voice. I really admire that!
This isn’t about exercise, but I remember, very clearly, one day last summer I was meeting up with my mom and sister in NYC. I’ve been there many times and am usually pretty good with directions. This time, I had printed directions that I started following. After a block or two, I thought “I don’t think this is right.. but it’s what the directions say so I’m going to keep going.” The directions weren’t right — and by the time I finally turned around I ended up being really late meeting them. And all along, if I would have just trusted myself, I wouldn’t have gotten lost!
And here I am a year later.. still not trusting myself.. I’ll get there eventually right?
You are so right about listening to your gut. I really need to do that right now!
Good job listening to your gut! I didn’t for my last race and I broke my foot. Oops. And OF COURSE we are watching the hockey game! My husband is a HUGE Pittsburgh Penguins fan. We’re not missing any games!
Oh my goodness! How many times I’ve needed to listen to my gut instinct and didn’t!! I’ve been listening to it now!
You know, I have backed out of two races in a row. The first because it was 3 days before I was flying to Europe for a ski trip and I didn’t want to wear my legs out then be stiff and miserable on a transatlantic flight, then try to ski for two weeks. I wanted to run it, but I didn’t want to destroy my legs. The second was because I was sort of sick feeling and I just didn’t want to stress my immune system (I tend to get sick with the slightest provocation after a long race). It kills me to cancel a race, but it boils down to- I race because I love it and I think it’s fun. If it’s causing me tons of anxiety, then it’s not fun.
Of course, I’m dying to get out and run right now but I have caught 3 colds in Jan. and Feb. so it’s just not happening. Soon though! I will get back on track for a 10K in April, I swear! I’m also running a couple miles with my friend during her marathon for encouragement next weekend so that will be tons of fun. :)
Your gut instinct is ALWAYS right! Good for you for trusting it! :)
Have fun tonight watching the big game! :)
I think this post is a breathe of fresh air. Many times many of us listen to the irrational thoughts our mind is telling us and give in because it is what we are ‘supposed to do’. A lot of times it doesn’t necessarily ‘feel right’ when you go with your gut, but I think that is what makes you know you are doing the right thing.
Great decision, have a lovely Sunday! :)
Go YOU!
I am a strong believer in trusting your gut. I would have gone to law school if I hadn’t trusted my gut and that would have been a huge mistake.
Oh and I luv ya but
GO USA! Beat Canada!!!!
I listen to my gut (our bodies have evolved to look after themselves!)
My caveat, however, is that I usually regret the things I DON’T do more than the things I DO. So if I’m torn on something and don’t have a good reason to NOT do it, I tend to try and take that jump and be brave/adventurous.
What a great post! Good on you for knowing your body and following instincts–I agree, they’ll never steer you wrong.
I’ll be watching the game tonight, but cheering for the US. :)
even though it doesn’t have anything to do with a race, i listened to my little voice yesterday that said I shouldn’t do a strength workout even though I really wanted to. i even started to try, but soon realized it was a BAD idea. i ended up doing some yoga instead and was so thankful i didn’t push myself to do the other workout!
It is so inspiring and great to hear how you listened to your body and gut instinct. I think we all def learn from our mistakes and learn when and what to listen to. this was so great to hear today…you are such a great woman.