In fitness, we often follow certain "rules" and go about things logically. We carry notebooks with detailed workouts scribbled on the pages. We have training plans that we follow as if it were our job to do what it says, every day. Fitness magazines proclaim to have the "rules" of weight loss, injury prevention, setting a PR; I could go on and on. Having a plan and supreme dedication is great for anyone trying to reach a goal...until it's not.
People often set out towards a goal with the idea that if they follow a certain dogma, they will be successful. I like to think of this as the "baking" approach to success: you put these specific and carefully measured ingredients in, mix them a bit, and you get a (delicious) masterpiece out. The problem is, life isn't constantly set at 350 degrees. Nor is it an oven that cooks evenly. Just because you put the ingredients in doesn't mean that you will get the expected outcome. I prefer to take a "cooking" sort of approach. You have a recipe, (i.e. your plan, workout, set of rules) but you don't necessarily have to follow it to the very last dash of salt. You can add more of something that you particularly like, and omit something that you don't.
In case my strange metaphor is too outlandish, what I mean is that it's okay for training to be a bit spontaneous. There are far too many factors that go into fitness for anybody to be too tied to a set routine. In fact, doing the same thing, week after week, is detrimental to progress. Even if the variables of the workouts are changing, if the skeleton of the workouts is the same, the same response (and possibly staleness) can be expected. The phrase "listen to your body" cannot be overused. If you feel great on an "easy" day, go for it. By the same token, if you feel like you just got peeled off of the asphalt from your last workout, don't do a planned interval session just because it was planned. Hard workouts are tough to skip mentally, because you know that they are the ones that ultimately make you stronger and faster. However, it's important to keep an eye on the grand scheme of things, and to be comfortable with the fact that it's okay to skip/change a workout. Aspirations can kick the common sense out of anyone. Trying to tell someone trying to qualify for Boston (or Kona, or whatever) that it's okay to skip a track workout is like talking to a brick wall, but it's so true.
Sure, one way to get injured is by not having a plan. But another way to get injured is to be too stressed out about training and following a plan. A problem that I (and I'm sure at least a few others) have is that I take a logical and concrete viewpoint with most of the issues I face. Although it's a positive some of the time, things can get a little boring. Training harder is rarely the answer; oftentimes we just need to take the challenge of training with more of a "freeness". I think we're all guilty of taking ourselves too seriously. Maybe we should give busting out of the concrete a try.
I'm not saying that you should return all of your training books, throw your multi-page training plan into the recycling bin, or that you should rip the calendar off of the wall. But what I am saying is to look at your training through an abstract lens every once and a while. Do a workout simply because you want to. Lift some weights instead of slaving away on a trainer or treadmill when a thunderstorm ruins the plan (um, unless you like those torture devices). Take an easy run somewhere beautiful and leave your watch at home. Have a plan, but follow it loosely. Be dedicated, but be smart. Break the rules and bust out of the concrete. I promise it feels pretty good.
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