In between flights, currently on a layover in New Jersey. Wanted to get this out today anyway — it’s something I’ve been working through myself these past few weeks, and it felt too timely to hold for next Tuesday.
Race day, Aug 15. The plan said negative-split the run — hold back the first mile, open up the back half. Ten minutes in, my legs had other ideas. They felt better than the plan accounted for, and I had a choice: trust the paper or trust the legs.
I trusted the legs. Went out faster than planned, and it held. But that’s not really the point of this one — the point is I almost didn’t. My first instinct was to stick to the plan because it was the plan, not because I had any actual reason to think my legs were lying to me.
That’s the trap. The plan gets written days or weeks out, with information that’s already stale by the time you’re standing at the start line. Sleep, weather, how the taper actually landed, how your body feels that specific morning — none of that exists yet when the plan gets written. Your body has all of it, in real time, and you override that at your own risk.
Here’s where I’ve landed, still working through it: the plan should set the floor, not the ceiling. If your body says less than planned, that’s information — respect it, most of the time. If your body says more than planned, ask why before you override it. “I feel amazing” and “I want to prove something” feel identical from the inside. One’s data. The other’s ego.
The tri wasn’t a big statement. It was one data point where I checked: is this a real signal, or just a good day talking? This time, it was real. Next time it might not be, and I’ll have to make the same call again.
That’s the part nobody tells you about trusting your body — it’s not a switch you flip once. It’s a decision you keep making, one workout at a time.
Some days the plan’s right. Some days your legs are. The only real mistake is assuming you already know which before you start.
— Iggy
The plan should set the floor, not the ceiling.
If this was useful, send it to someone who’d also find it useful. If someone sent it to you, subscribe here.