Margarin… wait that’s not right… Let me try that again.

Margin. Margin is a word I don’t use very often in conversation, but it’s a word that I love to consider. In my running plan, in races, in life when I’m not running, sometimes it’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s a bad thing. But let me start with the basic concept.

Margin as rest and recovery:

Think about a book. Well printed books have that white, mostly empty space around the text. And while it may look like wasted paper, it serves a purpose. It allows the reader to more comfortably hold the book, makes the text more inviting to read, leaves space for the page numbers, and maybe even the title of the book. So while the empty space at first glance may not seem useful to the reader, books without margins (I own a couple like this) are vastly harder to enjoy reading. It doesn’t mean that they are impossible to read, just less enjoyable.

Rest, recovery, and taper are similar. On first glance a runner at rest may not look like a runner at all… more like a rester. But rest serves a purpose, and is incredibly beneficial. Don’t get me wrong here. Running makes for a better runner. But I am the type of person who, given the choice, would rather run than do almost anything. In fact, I have run myself right into the ground (injury) before. And in the midst of a training cycle resting just feels wrong. Taper before a big race is even worse for me. It’s Newton’s law of motion at work. “Objects in motion…” and all that. If I don’t feel like I’m progressing my mind immediately tells me that I’m regressing. So I constantly struggle with margin.

When on a recovery run I have to constantly keep my eye on how fast I’m going. Otherwise I’ll go too fast and that throws a monkey wrench into the next quality run/workout. When I’m resting completely I have to make plans to do something specific with my day or I will be restless. But in the end, when I force myself to take those recovery days, both active and passive, I perform better. My body feels stronger and ready for more. My legs are stronger and faster.

Margin as rest and recovery means the space around my most meaningful workouts and runs which, as it turns out, is pretty important to not only performing well but also staying healthy and injury free.