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The end of the month is here again…way too quick! How have things been going for you?
I’m joining Marcia for Runfessions and Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday 5 2.0! Life is pretty good right now but if you know me, I’m always ready for a rant, haha! I have a few runfessions reflecting on these past few months of racing and how I think I plan to move forward. I hope you check them out!
What runfessions do you want to spill for this past month? Join the linkup with @teamarcia! #runchat Click To Tweet
Looking forward to some easygoing, relaxing runs!
Earlier this week I sent Coach Laura an email to let her know that I would be taking a short break from coaching until late July. Since finishing the Rock ‘n Roll Seattle Half Marathon on June 18, I feel completely liberated! I love structure more than most, but I definitely reached my limit after 6 nonstop months of race training!
Now I’m excited to run whenever I feel like it! No more feeling guilty about missing a run or scrambling to move runs around during the week. Running will feel less like work and more like a treat, which is a perfect way to start the summer. I’m looking forward to checking out group runs in my community, hitting the track for shits and giggles, and hopefully exploring some new-to-me running trails on the weekend! No pressure! And I’m not worried about losing fitness because I’ll now I’ll be able to go to both yoga and barre class much more consistently. Maybe I’ll finally get to focus on strengthening my core…
You may recall over the past several weeks that I’ve been talking about some very unpleasant pain in my right knee. Unfortunately, I’m starting to think that this may be a more serious issue. Thankfully, Coach Laura provided me with some Runner’s Knee prevention exercises and I will commit to strengthening my hips and quads as part of my regular workout routine. My knee usually feels the worst in the first couple of miles of running before the pain goes away. I think that having this short break from serious running is serendipitous – I need to sort out these knee issues ASAP because there’s no way I’m going to ignore the warning signs and end up sidelined with a preventable injury!
Since the end of my last race in Seattle, I’ve been truly enjoying my break from race training. However, while my hard work this season rewarded me with new PR’s in the 10K, 10 mile, and half marathon distances, I had to make several sacrifices along the way. Whether I was racing in town or in another state, I was usually missing a variety of networking and community events that are important to me: blogging conferences, festivals, garden tours, social mixers, weekend projects, “me time”. I love running, but it isn’t my entire life! Constantly packing and unpacking got old quickly and my schedule was so tightly controlled that I was always stressed.
So which races could/should I have skipped? The Rock ‘N Roll DC half marathon was one of the races that I wish I didn’t do, but I signed up for it several months in advance so the obligation was set. And the Parkway Classic was great, but it landed on a weekend where I missed out on 3 important events. Lesson learned: I will never create such a busy racing schedule again!
I’m not sure if you noticed, but last week, I did NOT have a Tunes Tuesday post for the Pump-Up music theme. I intended to create and share a 70’s-themed playlist but honestly, I ran out of time and energy and it just didn’t get done. My weekly Tunes Tuesday posts are fun, but they are a LOT of work. I work hard to share interesting music that I think you’d want to add to your running/workout playlists, and with a different theme each week, it’s a challenge to consistently churn out something that’s interesting and creative. I felt pretty guilty for missing the Tunes Tuesday post, but I realized that I have to stop being so hard on myself. No one died because I missed a post. Recovering from the Seattle trip was my priority. No regrets.
From Competitor Group website
So far I have the Rock ‘n Roll Montreal and Brooklyn half marathons on my fall calendar. That’s it. I would really like to do another half marathon in November or December, but I can’t seem to make a decision. Any recommendations?? I definitely want to stay within a couple hours’ drive from Philadelphia. And after seeing the obnoxious medals (above) for Rock ‘n Roll Philly, I’m really tempted to sign up for the new 10K in mid-September! It never ends…
I know all too well how I can overwhelm myself with too much on my calendar. The fall is one of my favorite times of the year which can also make it extremely busy! What should I do – add a couple more races to finish out the year, or quit while I’m ahead? What would you do?
What runfessions do you want to share from this past month?
