Sunday, November 13, 2011

Confessions of a Marathon Runner

It's been over a month since I ran the Chicago Marathon. A few days after the marathon I went on vacation for a week. While on vacation I hiked 6 or the 7 days I was in Arizona, but no running. I also ate lots or tortilla chips, margaritas, and In-N-Out. (In-N-Out has the best chocolate milkshakes. I may have had a chocolate milkshake 3 days in a row...) Upon my return to Nashville I found it hard to get back into any sort of exercise routine or healthy eating (Hello Five guys, mexican food, lemon poppyseed muffins, and other things I normally don't eat.)

Now that the marathon is over, I have found myself with no set race to train for. It was a little bit of a weird feeling. I had spent 18 weeks checking off workouts on a calendar, getting up way to early to avoid humidity on long run days, and now I had nothing to train for. I was still running once a week and yoga classes pretty much became non-existent. Last weekend I ran in the Ragnar TN Race with virtual no training except what I had done leading up to the marathon.

I gave myself a few weeks to do as I wanted and I realized I really missed activity in my life. I like having a plan. So last week I decided I need to get my act together and pick a race. I picked one, but realized I may have to work on the day of the race, so I picked another, The Seaside Half Marathon. I also signed up for the Viva La Diva 5k and 10 miler next Saturday. So it looks like I will be running a half marathon next weekend. I also signed up for the Country Music Half in April. This race will always hold a special place in my heart even though the course is not my favorite. And one other accomplishment for the week, I went to 4 yoga classes last week.

So, I just need a few weeks to get back into a routine and figure out what it is I want to do next. I am sure glad fall is here even if means running in tights and gloves and a headband.