Rest & Recovery

No, this is not my big race recap.  I know you are all on the edge of your seats waiting for that.  I need something short & sweet today....hey, just like me :)  ok....cheesy!!  But, hey, I'm avoiding a big emotional melt down so let me be cheesy if I want to be!

Running 45 miles last Saturday has completely wiped me out!  Well, duh!  I'm sure you all knew that would happen.  Some of you are tired of just thinking about running for 8 hours.  But really, I don't remember past ultras taking so much out of me.  Although, like childbirth, I think I tend to forget about the pain & suffering - the good kind- that goes with each race.  Yes, it has been worth it all and I won't hesitate to sign up & do it again.  But, wow, it's been a few days of recovery.

So far I have been good and really listening to my body.  In addition to a consistent 8-10 hours every night I've been taking naps as well.  I haven't ran since Howl, but I've logged some miles everyday by walking.  I did decide to "take a break" from running for the rest of the month.  Mostly due to my lingering injury that has not healed 100%.  I mentioned in my pre race report that the last few weeks I had completely lost my running mojo and had been forcing the running.  That is not what running is suppose to be about.  It's definitely not who I am.  I want to love running and lately I've hated it.  I only stuck with it because of Howl at the Moon.

Make no mistake, I'm logging some miles every day.  You didn't think I was going to walk away that easily, did you?  Technically, in a round about way I'm holding onto my streak of at least 2 miles every day.  Yes, on Sunday, the day after the race I walked.  Actually, that was more because I do believe one of the best things to do to recover is to get moving.  Laying around, moaning & groaning is worse in my opinion.  I took it very slow....VERY.....but I went out and walked.  So maybe I can't say that I hold a running streak, but a streak none the less to keep me active & moving every single day. 

After talking with Jill, a recent RRCA certified running coach, she let me know that walking is a very acceptable form of cross training that is good for my body while taking a break to recover from an injury.  I'll be adding in other forms of cross training, but not yet.  A few miles each day I can handle, but I'm not ready to jump back into a full exercise routine.   When I am ready to work my way back into a full routine (give me another week) I will also be focusing more on making my whole body strong.  I'm the first to admit that I love running so much that I'm often guilty of doing only that & ignoring everything else.  Yes, I know, shame on me!  *hanging my head in guilt*  Obviously I can get away with this to some degree (remember my awesome PR filled spring), but long term it has blown up in my face and look where I am now.  So I need to go back to a more balanced and whole body focused form of fitness.  I can (when the time comes) run every day, but it can't be my only focus.  Thank you Jill for talking some sense into me.  Deep down I knew all this anyway, sometimes it takes a friend to get you to face & deal with that truth.

In a fitness/running way this is all great & dandy.  It is, of course, coming at a bad time.  For two reasons:  A)  Run this year.  My yearly goal is slowly slipping out of my hands and I only have 4.5 months left to achieve this.  I mean, I do know that my overall health is more important that some mileage goal, but I'm such a competitive (against myself) person that I have a hard time just letting that goal go.  However I do have some hope that if I can recover properly & get back on track I do still have time.  I mean, I do have 4.5 months left!!  (I love seeing both the negative & positive of a situation).  And B) this emotional melt down that I mentioned at the beginning of my post....it really just makes me want to RUUUUUUUN!  Seriously, running helps balance me out so much!  When I go without it I have a harder time dealing with my emotions.  I'm an emotional big cry baby anyway, but now I don't have my usual way of venting it all out.  An emotional melt down is evident no matter what, but I can usually curb it via my running.  But, no I get to deal with it full blown once it hits.

A few things are contributing to this impending melt down.  A)  Howl at the Moon.  I've needed a big cry over that for days now, but have been holding it back.  More on that in my race report.  B)  Tomorrow marks 1 year since my father in law passed away.  C) Tomorrow is the first day of school.  Normally I'm all woo hoo about school starting.  This year it's different.  For the first time in 18 years ALL 6 kids will be in school.  My baby starts kindergarten and my oldest starts her senior year.  Just typing that has me tearing up.  This is big, this is huge....everything that I have been for 18 years is about to change.  Yes, I'll still be a (mostly) stay at home mom, but it's never going to be the same.  One of my biggest identities is about to drastically change.  Anyway....I don't want to get all worked up about it now!  Of course, NOW, is never a good time and eventually I won't be able to hold it in any more.  And I won't be able to run it off.  So I'm just going to have to deal with it like the great big cry baby that I am.

Ok, this ended up not being so short, but thanks for bearing with me & letting me vent :)