So let me start this by saying this post is all based on my experience and not on medical training. Doctors, especially those who have studied athletes, know more than I do, and I defer to experts always, so I’m basically writing this as a thought-provoking thing that might be a first step for you to go see a doctor to get an actual medical opinion, if necessary. Or maybe this post is the kick in the butt you need to decide that you are tougher than you think you are, and that you can make a mental change in how you approach workouts. 

I think a basic rule of thumb when deciding if you’re going to skip a day or not is whether your reason is physical or if it’s mental. If it’s physical, you need to rest. Fatigue and injury are no joke, and I feel that there’s little to be gained from pushing through a physical problem. Fatigue is your body telling you to rest. Injury is your body telling you there’s something wrong. Pushing through injury is only going to lead to more – and probably worse – injury. I can’t think of a single time in which I had a pain that I ignored and pushed through that just magically turned out ok. 

If it’s an injury, you should take steps to take care of it and consider this as important as your workout. Ice, stretch, foam roll (use a tennis or lacrosse ball if it’s a really tight spot in a foot or a calf muscle, for example), and generally take care of yourself to speed healing. See a doctor if you don’t start seeing improvement after a couple of days. You can also cross-train during this time, depending on the injury. Bike, yoga, walks, circuit training, elliptical if you have access to one – there are lots of options. 

When it’s mental, there’s a little more gray area. Just not wanting to go is probably something you can push through. Having someone holding you accountable can help you avoid this reason 9 times out of 10. Maybe 10 times out of 10 if that friend or family member is a real hard-ass. Feeling depressed or anxious are also big reasons that have held me back from running or exercising in the past, but running such a huge tool I use to counteract these feelings. It’s an issue of inertia, as one of my rowers put it a few weeks ago. If you can start, you can probably finish. The real test is getting yourself to start in the first place. Pushing through feelings of low motivation and wanting to quit often end up making those exercise sessions the most gratifying. 

The thing is, recent articles I’ve read, like this one from Runner’s World and this blog post from Polar, suggest that it takes a couple of WEEKS to really lose fitness physiologically, especially if you were in really good shape when you started your break. I think it’s just the mental hurdle of getting back into it once the break has begun that makes me want to be consistent. When I stop, I STOP. As I’ve said in past posts, I’m an all-or-nothing kind of lady, and nothing really means nothing. I’ve got to keep some kind of activity in my days, or I’ll go to a bad place pretty quickly.

Recently, I’ve been struggling more than usual with motivation. I’ve been wanting to stop during runs, not wanting to go at all, or struggling to keep myself interested in my usual loops. I’m lucky to have lots of things in place to motivate me to start: this blog, an instagram feed, a sister I send my stats to after each run, a husband who knows I’m happier when I exercise, etc. Even all of this has been just barely enough to get me to go lately. 

Having taken a little time to stop and think, I need to change it up a bit. I’m in a rut. I’ve been running roughly the same distances at roughly the same speeds on roughly the same loops. I’m bored. So I’m going to tune up my bike, and I’m going to do more yoga. Maybe I’ll bike twice, run twice, and do yoga twice in a week. I might throw in a circuit day on occasion as well. Another option I considered is starting a training plan, but with the uncertainty of the time table at present, I’m going to see if varying my workouts is enough to push me out of this little bummer I’m on. Pushing through mental ruts makes me feel stronger on the other side. It’s just sometimes a slog getting there.