Train hard. Race well. Train hard. Race well. The runner's basic instinct. Everything we do is based on hard work. We train. We brave the elements. We endure. We run through blizzards and bronchitis. We do not wimp out. We do not rest.

After running a marathon, there are basically 3 options. You can: 1) vow never to run again; 2) take some time off and then gradually get back into training; or 3) jump into full training as quickly as possible. Option 1 is not recommended, and option 3 should be chosen with caution. Option 2 is almost always the wisest choice.

You train for six months, taper perfectly, and run the marathon of your life. It's the next morning. You wake up stiff and sore. Now what?

When RT Editor Gordon Bakoulis and I discussed “listening to your body” as the topic for this month’s column, I hesitated because it sounded a bit soft for my tastes. After further thought, I agreed and, as usual, searched the scientific literature for supporting information. Not surprisingly, there was no data on the benefits of listening to your body for athletes because those benefits are impossible to measure. Thus, the insight that follows relies on over 30 years of runn