My last race for the year is Saturday....and then...gasp...sigh...moan..I am going to take 3 weeks off running. It even hurts to type it. This will be the first time in a year I've taken voluntary break from running. I don't want to, but I grasp that I need to...barely. Right now I'm savoring every run as if it were my last...really quite silly. Disturbing and reassuring at the same time. Frightening to be so passionate about something that you don't even want to let go for a little while. Reassuring that something so wonderful has become such an integral part of who I am and the creature I am becoming.
Soooo, I am screeching into the final days before I take a break. 3 weeks is nothing really....really Lori.
Comments
Have a great time this weekend!! Hope you are feeling better! :)
Nope...well, I don't like cross training per se. The whole point (i think) is to take a mental break more than a physical one. I plan to get up early as usual and do some strength exercises, research races for next year, play around on the website. I think it will actually be a fairly enriching break if I choose it to be. My body does need it. Having some lingering aches and pains from Leadville, and I got seriously fatigued toward end of spring so good time to reevaluate how I respond... or more acurately.. don't respond to my bodies cues during training to avoid getting into that hole. Eric has prescribed the break or I would not have opted for a 3 week break. I haven't pestered him about it or fought him on it (although I have hinted around a few times trying to get him to let me out of 3 weeks no running...but he hasn't taken the bait! ;) ), and know I kind of need to figure it out on my own so I can own it...so I am figuring and letting it be. I know it will be a good thing. We have managed to avoid sig injuries despite going from 0-100 mile rugged trail races rapidly, and I completely trust my training and Eric, so here I sit with headophones on slobbering over blog posts about Tor Des Geants!
Are you allowed to cross train? I'm like you, running is a part of me. It's how I start my day. The one day a week that I don't exercise always feels different to me- maybe its psychological. You've had a fantastic year- and good for you for knowing that its time for a rest. I'm pretty stubborn- I'll just keep pushing and pushing and pushing, scared that if I take a break I'll lose everything I've trained for. Hmmm... and I ended up with a stress fracture this summer. I need to take a lesson from you. (Not like I haven't learned a TON from you already!!) Just think how excited you'll be to get back to running!