Working With Your Body

"More often than not runners see their bodies as another obstacle in their path (to running success).When a runner does well,the impression one gets is that success has come in spite of the body,rather than because of it.

It appears that many (if not most) runners have lost touch with the simplest of realities.They have lost sight of the fact that it is the whole organism which achieves and not just the power of will. Most runners are too busy conquering themselves with high-mileage weeks to see the profound significance of this idea.

If we could only realize that we can gain more (in the largest sense) by cooperating with the body then by trying to conquer it,everything would fall into place. We would begin to see running as a means to develop the body to make maximal performance possible. Words like 'nurture,coax,and develop' would replace 'thrash,push and force'.The necessity of rest would become dramatically obvious." By E.C.Fredrick.

Well put.Runners tend to take an adversarial approach to their bodies as it relates to training and racing.Listen to your body,have respect for your body.