Must read! "Unplug and Then Plug Back In Excited"

Here is just a fantastic article about the importance of rest from Running Times:

"When race day seems an eternity away it is sometimes difficult to rally the mental focus necessary to get back into the swing of things.

"Then upon coming back, who among us hasn’t cursed about an “easy” 4-miler never feeling harder? There are both mental and physical components to address in order to ensure you are fresh, restored, and then ready to rededicate yourself to the upcoming season."

I'm in the second week of two weeks off and I must attest, it is difficult. The worst part was getting an email back from my pace coach advising that my first "long run" should be 4 miles. 4!!

(Ok ok I did cheat a bit. I ran just one mile yesterday. I had 10 minutes to kill before yoga.)

I haven't taken the time completely off, as the article advises. I've been doing a lot of indoor cycling. I have even made two attempts at swimming, which I'm sure were pretty comical to the lifeguard and other people in the pool as I treaded water halfway through my laps gasping for air. I took a kickboxing class.

But now I'm reminded why I took this rest period. I feel recovered now. I don't walk around with something constantly aching. And further, before this little hiatus I was secretly dreading every run, but now I can't be more stoked for Saturday!

Running hiatus: Kickboxing and yoga

I'm taking a little hiatus this week and next, except for the short holiday run in Columbus this Sunday. This is to recover from Saturday's 10-mile trail run, which thoroughly kicked my butt. This time it's going a little bit better than last time I tried, perhaps because it's 20 degrees outside and snowing -- an environment just slightly more inviting than the treadmill. It's now Thursday and I have yet to log any miles.

So how have I occupied myself?