“You need someone to hold you accountable who’s not a runner, because most runners would look at you and say ‘you’re not losing too much weight, you just look like a runner. You’re not training too much, you’re just dedicated’. My wife gives me balance and if I have a rest day and I’m in my head about it or I’m feeling guilty about eating, she’ll talk me through that.”
Having run on his injury for two weeks, his sports therapist told Andy he needed to take some time out to recover, something he reluctantly agreed to do. Rest days are essential if you want to avoid time out with injuries, something Andy learned the hard way.
That doesn’t mean you have to curl up on the couch for the day (unless you want to of course), but opting for lower impact exercise such as cycling or yoga in between running days will allow you to get the most out of your runs.
If you’re finding it hard to recognise when you’re due an easier day, take note of how your body is feeling. If your general energy is down or your pace is slower than normal, then maybe you need some respite and TLC. Andy’s golden nugget of wisdom?
“Hold yourself accountable with every single run."
"You’ve got to have a reason to get out the door and if your reason is it’s good for your mental health and you want to enjoy some fresh air, then don’t go out and absolutely go as hard as you can, go out at a steady pace.
“If you’re going flat out every run and you haven’t got a good reason for doing that, that’s when you need to start thinking why am I running? Because you might havecrossed that line from healthy training into overtraining.”