I put on my run shoes and went for a run this evening.  This was just one, of the many things that I had hoped to achieve today.  I also had a swim scheduled, but forcing that workout into my schedule, was just not the smart thing to do.

Yesterday evening, as the weekend came to a close, my thoughts wandered to today, and all of the things that I wanted to get done.  From a triathlon training perspective, I had a run workout and a swim workout on the schedule from my coach.  I also wanted to do 20 minutes of mobility work.  In addition to all that, the local triathlon club was having a webinar that I wanted to attend.  This was huge ‘triathlon’ day, in terms of time and commitments.

What I also knew, as I contemplated my Monday, was that today was going to be a very long workday.  I had conference calls with Europe scheduled for 6am and 7am, then I needed to go into the office for only the second time since March, and my day wouldn’t finish until after another late afternoon conference call.

So as I took all this in last night, I made some choices.  Cramming everything that I wanted to do into the day, would have been very stressful.  I made the decision that I would not swim and I would not do the mobility workout.  I made the decision to not get up crazy early to work out before work.  I decided I would run as soon as work finished and doing that, would allow me to sit and relax during the triathlon club’s webinar.

I ended up doing exactly what I planned to do, and I am still very tired.  I know I would have been absolutely shelled, if I had forced everything into my day.  I would have stressed my body, way more than it can handle.  Long work days create stress, so it is important to realize this ahead of time, and manage your whole day accordingly.  By doing this, you don’t dig yourself into a hole for the rest of the week.  

I will now try to do my swim on Wednesday, when I know my work day is less stressful, and when I only have a short run planned.  Don’t be afraid to move things around, your body will thank you.