Is there anything better on the planet than a mom hug? When we fall down, and have skinned knees or skinned hearts, a mom hug always makes it better. Not perfect, but better. During this third week of IMLP training, my spirit fell down, but the promise of a mom hug at the end of the week, Mother’s Day, helped me get through it.

The week began off-kilter because I decided to take Monday off to rest my wary legs, and heart. The Sunday before was both physically and emotionally draining, so I let myself rest, recover, repair and move forward. Thankfully by Tuesday, I was back at it. I am happy to report that my usual energy-depleting post-ride swim was enjoyable, and actually boosted my self-esteem, rather than demolishing it; a magical moment indeed. Next, on Wednesday I set out for my 10 mile Tempo run and sliced off another few seconds from my average mile, a definite sign of progress. Unfortunately, my right hamstring was sore during my run, and tightened up after I finished. Throughout the rest of the week, I was diligent to foam roll and stretch, but it was still tender after my long swim on Thursday. To my surprise, the incessant 86 degree YMCA pool warm water was vacant of its healing powers that day.

Next, I awoke on Friday morning startled to discover my right calf locked in a cramp, but I ran long anyway. I did shorten the run from 17 to 15 miles; honestly, I probably shouldn’t have run at all. My legs were clearly agitated, because the cramp held my calf hostage for days. Therefore, on Saturday I decided to only ride my trainer for a couple of hours, and spend the rest of the afternoon Mother’s day shopping at Barnes and Noble. It was heavenly.

I planned to swim on Sunday before driving to Claremont, and run later in the afternoon before I drove home. Annoyingly, my swim was not so long, and not so great. It seemed everything in my being was off. Miraculously, I did not freak out, because I accepted that these days happen. The upside was that I was going to spend hours with my mom, which is always a needful want, but this time it was a necessity. Life kicked me in the teeth repeatedly over the last two weeks and I needed the curing effects of a mom hug stat.

I am sure the "life” stress I felt affected my training, it’s all part of it. However, I knew that the priority for my wellness was spending as much time with my mom as possible, so I bailed on my afternoon run, and spent the afternoon cooking kale chips and drinking tea with my mom.

As a result, by the numbers, last week was fairly light, but that’s okay. In my opinion the most important thing we need to remember as athletes is to listen to our bodies, and mine was telling me to chill for a minute. The good news is that all is going well so far this week; I have nailed every work out, and my hamstring and calf are loose and happy. If I had a nickel….

On a cultural note, I read a fabulous book this week written by “Ms. Thursday Night” herself, Shonda Rhimes called, Year of Yes. It was fun, sweet, honest, and inspiring; I strongly recommend it for all of you.

Happy Training!

Taryn