I am a pretty self-motivated person when it comes to exercise, especially when I have a race I’m training for, which I treat as a deadline. Like being prepared for a presentation, or taking a test, I think of my workouts as “homework” or “studying.” The more time I put into it beforehand, the better prepared I will be.

Even though I run pretty regularly on the treadmill and in the park, I haven’t run a race since the NYC Marathon in November. So, a few months ago, I signed up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon, which is happening in a couple weeks. As usual, I printed out my Hal Higdon training program, wrote in the corresponding dates for all the long runs, and started to train.

It might have been old shoes, or maybe I’ve been bad about stretching, but I developed a case of plantar fasciitis about 6 weeks ago. In case you’ve never had it (and, I hope you haven’t) it’s pretty painful and will make running and any other activity requiring you to be on your feet absolutely miserable. I’ve suffered from it before, and it’s gone away with some rest and icing.

I made the decision to not do the race. With a couple weeks rest from running, I may feel better in time, but I won’t feel ready and prepared. And, if I go from 0 to 13.1 miles, I’m likely to re-irritate it or cause some other kind of injury.

Since I made the decision a couple weeks ago, I’ve been going to yoga pretty regularly, but almost all cardio vascular exercise has come to a halt. “I’m injured, I need to take it easy,” I’ve been telling myself. “I’m smart. I’m looking at the big picture, instead of pushing myself to injury.”

Now, throw in a couple of busy weeknights and a Mother’s Day weekend with mom, and I’ve slipped down the slippery slope of moderation and balance and landed in a sticky pit of laziness.

It’s been about a week since I’ve been to the gym and all I want to do is eat potato chips and watch TV. Right now I’m telling myself I don’t need to go do my usual Sunday evening yoga because I walked to the train and helped mom carry her suitcase to Port Authority. Oh, and because it’s cold outside. Note: It’s 52 degrees in New York.

The truth: I’m being a lazy jack ass.  I went from modifying my workouts to giving myself a break to doing nothing.

A brisk 15 minute walk to the gym and a 1hr yoga class will make me feel great. The stretching will probably help my sore heel, and a Sunday night yoga class will help set the tone for a healthy, active week.

Ok, I think I’ve managed to convince myself to get off my butt and put on some yoga pants.

How do you guys deal with the slippery slope of “moderation?”

-Phoebe

Filed under: Running, injuries, yoga