Just Saying...

...I have been without running for exactly 17 days.  That is the longest I have been without running in 5 years, I think.

Mood: not atrocious

Strength: lacking, but trying to supplement with: bootcamp, yoga, swimming, walking, weights, bike

Endurance: trying not to think about it.  So that means I'm not even going to type about it.  Starting now.  Just a quick and final note: not marathoning until the spring (likely) so I don't even NEED to be worried about endurance.

Reminder: recovery is part of training.  This big rest is going to make me a stronger, better, faster runner.

And thus was born the 30 day Non-Running Challenge.  Which some may find humorous as for many the challenge may be to commit to doing an activity like running for 30 days.  I find it difficult, so very difficult to NOT run!

The first week without running was incredibly hard.  To have been so focused on a goal for such a long period of time, and to eat, sleep, breathe and RUN that goal for a few months...and then NOTHING, no running cold turkey?  To be honest, it takes a bit of a toll on the old psyche.  I really had to focus on the idea that recovering post marathon is a part of training.  And you know what?  It got easier.  It really and truly did.  To be fair, by the time the second week rolled around, I was starting to gently introduce some activity back in to my life: walking, yoga, and I managed to get back into the pool for a swim or two.  This week, I've re-re-re-committed to health and fitness (I wonder how many times I've done that in the course of this blog?) and have started to shift my focus to strength training so I will be strong for the next round of punishment, I mean marathon training,which will start in the New Year, depending on what race I pick. 

But I'm trying really, really  hard to not get too far ahead of myself, and to focus on the other parts of my life that tend to take the back seat when I'm training hard for a race.  And this is a huge challenge when you love running as much as I do. 

So.  As of Sunday, I have one week left.  And since hope is not a strategy, I'm not going to HOPE I will make it, just like I would never HOPE to run fast in a marathon; you prepare, focus, train and run...so I have prepared by signing on to train with the fabulous KayZee (Remember her?  She's my trainer friend who's like Jay Z- just way cooler and she runs darn fast), planning to hit the yoga mat, and walking to and from work.  This IS training; just a different kind that gives the old bod a break from all that pounding on the pavement.

And on a much more positive and fun note...

The future of marathon running.  Look out world!  Hopefully H remembers his pants!