Sprint, recover

Not sure when I first did intervals. Probably fartlek training in high school. Which I’ll always remember thanks to some fellow adolescent breaking that word down into its cruder components.

To this day, still not sure why our coach opted to use that word. He wasn’t Swedish, and wasn’t known (at least to us) for his sense of humor.

Now as a Man Of A Certain Age, I’m much more interested in the part in the intervals where we recover. We rest. We gear up for the next burst of activity.

Where I still get it wrong is in thinking that it’s just related to athletic pursuits, to physical training. When the concept has broad applications for me in my daily life.

Goes beyond sleep, and into finding space for myself to pour back into my life, after all the hours spent pouring myself out.

Because while I value the pouring out, sharing knowledge with those around me in a way I hope brings them something positive, if I don’t the time to refill myself, I quickly lose interest in the pouring at all.

Or even the capacity to move outward.

Taking that time for me, to reboot, reconfigure, isn’t laziness. It’s often not really leisure. It’s the choice to invest time in my recovery, giving myself the opportunity to be ready to pour out again.