1,2, resting....1,2

Clever title ay? I am dickhead sometimes.

A general post this time about rest. This is one of those subjects that every 'expert' talks about in the same way they talk about hydration. 'Make sure you drink enough, try to make sure your constantly taking fluid on, even in the cold you still lose fluids.....' Sound familiar? Well, blow me cupcake.

'I think you are over training, have to been increasing your weekly running mileage by more that 15% at a time, are you taking rest days?' Okay good advice, no wait, actually blow me cupcake.

Its personal, sometimes you know you have to just punch through this 'good advice' and accept the 'risks' of doing do. The real problem is that that all the expert voices can start to drown out the most important voice of all. The one coming from your own body!

Writing out my training plan a couple of weeks ago, it all seemed too crammed and unrealistic - jumps in distances looked too big etc etc. Generous blocks of rest were included as well as cautious sessions or 'active rest' as it's known. I feel great and know that I could of done more and pushed harder.
This is where it gets confusing.....if I had done this would I be sitting here injured and severely pissed off? Alternatively I might be sat here stronger, fitter and more confident in what I was capable of. My recurring lower leg injury (medial tibial stress syndrome) has gently re-surfaced and I expected it to. Physio is now being done before I go to bed to sort it out and it will doubtless fade into the background.

I feel a bit confused myself about how much I could or should be doing. I am being cautious and roughly sticking to my plan of getting a base of strength and cardio ability locked in. Then I can really hammer myself - hopefully with reduced chances of injury. I feel there is so much more to come and I am literally arguing with myself about what to do tonight. I really want to do that 4 hour cycle ride again, rationalising that if I feel like I want to then I cant be too tired. The other half is saying, stick to the plan for one more week Bruce and then start doing additional stuff.

Really interesting topic this. The answer is unique to the individual. Dependent on current fitness levels, training experience (months, years decades), age, stress levels, diet, climate, illness, genetic makeup and probably loads of other things.

My guess is that even people who are serious about fitness or a particular sport could train a bit harder and usually a lot harder than they think they can. That probably includes me - even in this cautious stage.