When to STOP

The balance between pushing through your mental limits, and accepting your physical boundaries is a tricky one.

Coach IAN WADDELL, professional trail runner RYAN SANDES, and retired runner turned walker CHRISSIE JEFFREY offer guidance.

COACH IAN SAYS

I believe that trail running (including the training and racing) can be seen as a mirror of how we choose to live our life. Knowing when to push, when to back off and recover, or when to stop entirely, is an important life lesson.

Know yourself

The only way to make a wise decision is by knowing your mind and your body. Your mind plays many tricks, so it is important to become more aware.

There are some pitfalls we need to watch out for:

1. “Bailing equals failure.” Trail running is an adventure that teaches you so much about yourself, particularly about the ego and selfcare. Every experience is enriching, regardless of finish time or the finish line.

2. Guilt. Feeling shame or guilt for missing sessions is actually blackmail from our egos. It disconnects you from the wisdom of your body.

Unless you have missed most training sessions for silly reasons. In that case, use your guilt to inspire action.

3. “No pain, no gain.” You should not push through pain at all costs. Society tells us that pain is