During a family gathering this past holiday season I had someone comment about my fitness regimen. In typical intra-family fashion (at least for myself) the comment was not an endearing one - it was of a foreboding nature. The gist of the comment was your body was only good for a certain amount of exertion - be it work or exercise. Instead of climbing toward the mountain top of excellent health I was depleting my fixed supply tank of life.
I have always possessed a concern I do not exceed my fitness bounds to the extent where my transgression results in a hospital stay. I ran a marathon in the fall of 2009 where I believe I suffered kidney damage due to dehydration and an extreme muscle protein breakdown. (Rhabdomyolysis)
Last weekend I completed a 4.5 mile interval run on Saturday and then tried to do a long easy run (8 miles) on Sunday. I had to prematurely end the Sunday run because I simply had no energy. Nothing in the tank. I could not attribute my poor performance to being sick.. I was going to attempt to mentally muscle through the eight mile run, but thought better to listen to what my body was telling me.
I believe if you are not careful, you can "Use it AND Lose it." Like most things in life, moderation is the key. I also believe by the grace of God, He has allowed me on a couple of occasions to temporarily exceed my limits. Case in point, during my first year of training I attempted a 13 mile run well before I was physically prepared for this level of effort. Long story short, I nearly fainted along a road having succumbed to dehydration and most likely several more ailments.
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