Patience is a Virtue

The 2011 pre-season has begun. So far this week has been a week of chipping of rust. And trust me I am rusty. After taking off 4 ½ months, my body is in shock. My legs, arms, shoulders, back, hips and everything in-between are officially sore/stiff.

In the past, I have trained people in the gym. When you are training someone who has trained in the past, they usually make the same mistake; they try to start where they left off. I have had to tell these people: “When you are starting off, you are starting over. You are not starting where you left off.” There are individual exceptions to every rule.

I admit that I don’t always practice what I preach. The other evening, while on my 30minute training run, I wanted to run fast. I wanted to run at the pace I left off at in June. I quickly discovered that I am not in the same shape I was in 4 ½ months ago. I am slower, off pace and rusty. This was a humbling situation, as I worked very hard to bring my running up earlier this year.

My coach, Jim Lubinski, reminded me that “Patience is a virtue and we have a long season ahead of us.” Coach Jim has advised me to slow down, focus on my breathing, heart rate and pace. Stretching, massage and the use of my Trigger Point Tools are also a must during the 2011 season. I have started to incorporate my Trigger Point Tools in my new morning stretching program.