You know what? I haven’t run in over a week.
And I don’t plan to run again until tomorrow. (That’s 9 days of no running in case you’re counting.)
I had grand plans for my training schedule – I should have completed 2 weekday runs and a semi-long run already – but my legs just aren’t feeling it.
Neither is my mind.
I think – scratch that – I KNOW running takes more out of me mentally than it does physically. It always has and I have a feeling it always will.
So I gave myself a break. A well deserved on at that…at least I think so anyway…
But just because I haven’t been running the last week doesn’t mean I’ve was taking it too easy – I got in my last session of Restore the Core:
Went on a 4.7 mile Kayak Adventure:
(You’ll have to excuse me – that was the ONLY picture of kayaking I got…and the Kayaks weren’t even on the roof yet! I sometimes forget that I’m a blogger and need to take pictures of things….)
Had a great at-home Yoga Session:
And went on a 40 mile training ride for my yet-to-be-named Century Ride:
Confession: my “40 miler” was really only 38.89…but once we got home & realized we were short there was no way in hell I was getting back on my bike for a measley 1.1 miles. So I took the liberty of rounding up. Hope that’s OK…
Wanna plan a game? Below is a picture of the food & drink we took with us on our ride. How much do you think we actually ate/drank? (We left at 12:00pm and it was over 80* with a nice light breeze.)
I’m cheap and don’t have anything cool on hand to give away, so there’s no prize for guessing correctly. You just get mad props from me!
And now I’m off for a “real” yoga session at the YMCA. Monday night yoga is always a great way to start the week!
What about you: Do you ever “round up” (or down) your mileage for long workouts? What is the acceptable limit for rounding?
Sometimes we just need a break from running – I know I do! Running has become a secondary exercise for me these days and I feel great about it. When I start to miss it, I just go out for a run. No plans, no times, etc. I probably would have finished off all the food and drink!
It took me a long time to realize that it’s “ok” to enjoy other activities more than running! But now that I know that, I enjoy running a lot more when I actually DO get out there! (We finished 4 bottles of fluid – one water, one gatorade each – and all of the food!)
Love all your activities outside! I’ll round up for running if it’s under .10 miles, but biking I definitely give myself more leeway.
One of the joys of living in Florida – I’m so spoiled now & can’t fathom how I handled living in Erie! I agree – for running if it’s .10-.20 or so I’ll round up, anything else feels too much like cheating to me. But biking I feel differently – maybe because of the longer distances to begin with?
Especially with running, I feel the same way… Just not feeling it after a while and the only thing that helps to get my head back into it, is taking a break.
I’m honestly always amazed at how many people can run every.single.day and not get burnt out! Anything more than 3 days a week is too much for me – and I usually stick with just 2 anyway!
I am totally running burned out and it is happening at a TERRIBLE time considering my first half is in two weeks. I have yet to type these words, but I haven’t ran in *gasp* over a week. And that is danger bay for half marathon training. I got up to 11 miles and it’s like my brain said, “Eh! Good enough!”
I dream of a day when I can hike and kayak and walk and not have to worry about neglecting my training.
I figure any kind of activity our love for it ebbs and flows. Right now, I want my half to be over SO BADLY that May 7th can’t get here soon enough. But next month? I’ll probably be all, “I love running!” again.
And yes, I always round up. (See that 11 miles up there? It was actually 10.84) I figure that extra bit of padding is the least I get for the effort it took to get up off the couch and put on my workout clothes.
You’re going to ROCK your half marathon! And if it makes you feel any better, for all of the HM’s I’ve done, I’ve never once run over 10 miles during the training program! Just do a few easy runs between now and then and a semi-long run and your legs will be fresh as daisies come race day!
I couldn’t agree more about waiting for hte day that a training program isn’t ruling my life. After my next HM on May 14th I’m definitely going to take a few weeks to just roll with the punches and do whatever my body & mind are craving!
Oh thank goodness for this. I’ve been kicking myself since last week for not running as much as planned. Allergies are kicking me in the face – for one. And last week I would’ve sworn I’d tied on cement shoes rather than my running shoes.
As far as rounding goes, I’ve done it. For example, Sunday was my long run but at some point I hit the pause button on my program. I ball-parked it as being a mile (had to run that same stretch on the way back anyway). It was about a mile. I think that’s fair – though my run was 8.5 not a 40 miler.
Still, if you’ve accomplished what you’ve set out for – or more – and feel good where you’re at, it counts.
I’m guessing you consumed all the fluids on that ride. Snacking I’m still working on during training, but all those options look yummy to me!
It’s so sometimes to allow myself to back off – my workout routine has become so ingrained that I really feel like I’ve been slacking, even if my body is SCREAMING for a break!
I did feel a little bad about stopping our ride at *this close* to 39 instead of the whole 40 but I just couldn’t get back in that saddle! Although I did reason with myself that I went over a few miles on the 30 and 35 milers so it should even out.
I always go through a lot more fluid than food – and my husband is backwards! So we went through everything with no problem. I have trouble eating & riding only because if I eat too much my stomach gets upset when I’m in my drop bars.
Good for you!!! Everyone needs a break:) You were still super active even for taking a break!! I bet you needed almost all of the drinks and snacks… I only spin and don’t do outside bike rides… maybe I will someday. Your posts make me want too:)
I love cycling outside, but I love spin too for different reasons! Maybe I’ll do a post on why I love both so much! We did go through practically all of the fluids and all of the food – I guess that’s what we get for heading out at noon & not eating lunch first!
I’m really understanding the break from running right now. Today was my first day back in 9 or 10 days as well. And I feel much better now.
This last round of training definitely taught me the importance of taking breaks for sanity reasons!
I 100% agree that running can be just as mentally draining as it is physically draining. When I was training for my marathon I ate, slept, LIVED running and after 4 months of that I was just ready for the training to be OVER!
Good for you for listening to your body (and your mind!) and giving yourself a much-deserved break!
That’s what I hated the most about marathon training – it consumed my entire LIFE! I like the HM distance because it’s still a commitment, but not as “intense”.
You had a great ride and if you’re not “feeling the running spirit” wait for it. It will come.
As for rounding, I’m sooooooo anal, if I have it in my mind to run 17 miles, I have to run 17.X miles for it to cound. What a pain my brain is!
I sure hope my running spirit gets here someday! I’ve always struggled mentally with running – in a much better place now, but still hard for me.