Fatigue

Up early this morning, mentally fatigued. No inclination to work out, no desire at all. Lost a few hours sleep over the last couple of nights, don't know why. Fired up the coffee maker and sipped my way through a mug and half of bold coffee, I didn't discover any new found energy or motivation in particular, I guess I woke up enough to guilt myself into getting over to the fitness center to workout. I started an easy spin on the stationary bike and worked into a decent 5 mile run on the treadmill. Not very inspired, but I got the job done.

Some days you just don't have it. You don't want to do any exercise and you just want to take the day off. Rest days are important, to let your body recover and gain strength. I am not particularly good at taking regular rest days. I tend to take an easy day instead, cutting back on minutes and miles but not taking the entire day off. It seems to work for the most part. Then you get a day like today...is it smart to push yourself through it? I don't know for sure but I gauge it this way;

I try to determine if it is physical fatigue or mental fatigue. If it's physical you can feel the sore muscles or joints. If you feel okay physically, your mind may play games with you, telling you it's a physical issue when it may not be. It takes some effort over a period of time to get to know yourself this way. If I determine it's mental I try to convince myself I need to maintain the training program and find reasons to convince myself that I am better off getting my exercise in. If I determine it's physical, I have to decide how much pain is too much and what effect will exercise make on the injury or pain, is it just muscle soreness or something else? It's a judgement call where you have to use your own personal experience and knowledge to guide you.

Pushing through fatigue has it's positives and potential negatives. You can build mental strength, that when called upon may serve you well, though you can risk overworking yourself and possibly do some damage too. When you push through mental fatigue, at the end of your exercise you generally feel pretty good in that you overcame an additional obstacle, that obstacle being your mind, as well as having accomplished your physical workout.

The best part of course, on a day like this is... when its over! Have a good one. It's Friday!