Taking a Break from Running

I read somewhere that a runner should take a vacation from running every so often to allow his body to fully recover from the training and to rejuvenate the desire to continue running. I can honestly say that I never took more than a couple of days off from running since I started back in 1985. As you know from reading this blog I have been a bit obsessive compulsive about my running. Looking back, I probably should have taken a few breaks from my training to properly recover from some of the minor injuries I suffered early on in my running life. However, Mother Nature had a bit of a surprise for me this winter forcing me to take a break from running.

For those who have not been following the news, we have had waves of winter storms each week since Christmas. My yard looks a lot like the North Pole with snow piled up over 2 feet and drifts as high as 4 feet. Icicles are hanging off my gutters like the Sword of Damocles ready to fall and put me out of my misery from this frozen wasteland I now call home. I am surprised a family of elves have not taken up residence in my mother-in-law suite. Needless to say the snow piles on the sides of the road make running even more hazardous than normal. This made me think twice about getting out on the roads the last couple of weeks.

I have only run a couple of days in the last 2 weeks for two reasons. First, running on the roads is dangerous and hazardous to my well being. Second, the roads have been so treacherous in the mornings; I can’t safely drive to the YMCA to run on the treadmill or indoor track. Therefore, I have accepted Mother Nature’s directive to stay indoors and relax. Not an easy proposition for me. There have been days that I was on edge and cranky because I could not get my run in that day.
Needless to say, I have really missed getting out there on the road. But, at the same time, I have enjoyed relaxing and letting my body recover. I did get my heart rate up during this layoff period as I was performing in “Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and dancing quite a bit during the rehearsals and performances. Based on my soreness each day, I was definitely using muscles I don’t normally use. This made me feel like I was not losing any of my fitness level during the layoff.

On Monday of this week, I finally went out for a run. It was really nice to get back on the road. I can say with conviction that this short two week layoff came with good results. Muscles that I have been feeling some twinges of pain were pain free on this first run. I feel like all of the other minor nicks, bruises and soreness had time to heal fully. I am hoping that this will mean I can run injury free the rest of the year. More importantly, I felt a real enthusiasm to get up early and out into the cold dark morning for my run. Something I had not felt in some time.

I am planning to run a fall marathon and want to be able to put in the training through the spring and summer. I did not run a long distance race last year with the exception of the B.A.A. Half Marathon which did not exactly go as I had planned. I actually submitted a lottery entry request to the New York City Marathon a couple of weeks ago. Fingers crossed. I want to be able to say I ran in some of the biggest marathons in the United States when I finally stop racing. If I don’t get into the lottery there, I am looking at Philadelphia as the backup plan. Either way, I know that this little respite has given me that feeling of excitement about training again. Now, I need to get back out on the road and log some miles.

Jan. 16 – 10.20 miles (1:31:47, 9:00 pace)
Jan. 17 – 6.80 miles (1:02:28, 9:11 pace)
Jan. 20 – 5.20 miles (48:31, 9:10 pace)
Jan. 31 – 6.20 miles (56:20, 9:05 pace)
Feb. 3 – 6.20 miles (48:52, 7:53 pace) -- Tempo Run
Feb. 4 – 6.20 miles (58:33, 9:27 pace)

Total Miles: 40.80 miles
2011 YTD Miles: 132.20 miles