Let’s get real

Shortly after Friday’s not-so-good-due to knee-IT Band-problems -run I had to take a bit of a reality check. My plan to “take it easy with every other  day 6K’s and doing another 10K the next Friday was perhaps not the best plan because as much as I want that to be an easy week, for me, a 42 year old Mother of 6 who just ran her first Marathon a month ago, that is not exactly “easy”. Can I do it? Yes. Breeze through it… hmmm… maybe not. I need to focus on fixing this IT problem and along with strengthening (been doing that!) stretching (been doing that too!) rest is what is just as important but it’s just so hard to do.

Funny that. Slacking off, somehow is easy but “actively” resting forcing myself NOT to run when I really really want to run is so hard. I suppose I have built a kind of dependence on my running. I relied on it to clear my mind, boost the endorphins and just get away from the madness that is my life as a stay home Mum, nothing else quite does it for me, even though I enjoy the swimming or some time in the gym it is not the same as getting out there and pounding the pavement.

Yesterday I ran. It had been 5 days since my last run, I had resisted offers from the neighbourhood running Mums to head out with them on a couple of occasions (hard to do because it’s so much fun!) and I had forced myself to rest, but yesterday was a long day. It was hot I had extra kids with me (2 I babysit) the ol’man wasn’t home for dinner, the kids had done a LOT of bickering, the bills seemed to all show up on one day and by “bedtime” I was cranky. I decided I needed to run. It was 9 pm, I wasn’t even sure if I had any gas in my tank to get very far but I just put on my shorts, tank top and shoes and headed out WITHOUT my beloved Garmin. I didn’t want to know how fast or how far or how long I ran- I just wanted to run until it felt “right”. 

It was amazing I came home sweaty and refreshed, the crankiness “magically” gone. My knees? Not a problem. At the risk of sounding like the total flake I am… THIS is why I run