After taking the last 2 days off from running I went out this morning for a nice and easy 8K run. Before I knew it, though, it had turned into a tempo run. I usually have a hard time taking more than 1 day off in between runs but I obvioulsy needed these last few days. Today, I was so anxious to go for a run that I could hardly contain myself. My plantar faciitis is still lingering and likely won't go away until after my race but otherwise I felt strong.
However, taking time off wasn't easy and I kept thinking that something was missing from my day because I didn't run. I rode my stationary bike for 80 minutes on Saturday but it wasn't the same. Then yesterday I took my kids to the Seaton Trail where we did a nice long walk and a little bit of climbing. The kids loved it but I kept thinking that I should be running not walking. It didn't help that I saw a few people running in the trails. On the way back from our walk I even did a mini learn to run program with my kids. They ran for a minute and walked for a minute. This lasted about 2 minutes but at least they gave it a try. The last part of the trail I challenged them to a race to the car which they also enjoyed.
When I started out on my run this morning, I kept thinking about how hard those first few steps are. It takes me a few K's to get into a rhythym, but sometimes after taking a few days off, it takes longer. I was surprised that I was able to find a comfortable pace fairly quickly. I can understand how hard it is to take time off and then come back and how quickly you can lose your conditioning.
My gym is filled with people who haven't worked out in years. I met a client last week who used to come to the gym daily but stopped and is just now getting back again. There were 5 years in between that span! Days started to turn into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into years. Before he knew it he had gained an extra 50 pounds and lost most of the conditioning he had worked so hard to achieve.
I wondered during my run today about how hard it is for me to take even a few days off from running and how important it is to me. I can't imagine, unless it's because of an injury, taking that much time off. I feel that I need to be accountable to me and I want to improve my conditioning. During the weekend I also decided that I need to start to do a little weight training. I've enlisted the help of a good friend who is a trainer at my gym. I asked her to put together a weight training program that I can do twice per week (thanks Taletha). My body has gotten so used to my running, that I need to "shake things up" in order to see any changes.
Because I havent' lifted weights in months, I'll likely wait until after my race in Haliburton to begin this program but I'm looking forward to doing something a little different.
I'm looking forward to running in the trails tomorrow.....hopefully I'll see a deer or two!
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