down time

I am officially taking a two week break from running.

I had been planning to finish out 2010 by hitting my 2,010 mileage goal, and then taking two weeks off.  But as Christmas approached and my ankle started hinting that it needed a break, I decided to shuck the mileage goal and go ahead and take the two weeks off now.  It's a natural time to sit back and relax as family pressures demand early morning runs and being away from home.  It's a good time to indulge in treats and remember why eating clean feels so much better.  So I've been doing both.

Rest is incredibly important to running, I am learning.  It can be hard to judge how our body is truly feeling when we run every week.  Long, hard efforts take their toll over time, and if we never give our bodies a chance to repair the damage, we are asking for injury.  My hips and my ankle have all been quietly suggesting that it is time to give it a rest, so that is what I am doing.

I found this excellent article extolling the virtues of taking a two week rest.  And I'll admit, it isn't easy.  I watch my friends' workouts roll by on dailymile, and I think, "I should be out there!"  I drive by a runner on the street, and I am struck with a yearning to join them.  I worry that I'll lose my fitness, gain 5 pounds and forget how to run...but I know this isn't true.  Well, except maybe the 5 pound part, and that's just because I can't put the Christmas cookies down!

But I make peace with it by imagining how much stronger I'll be once I've let my body take the rest it needs.  I imagine how it will feel to put in a hard work out, and how good that first hot shower after a good, long run will feel.  And I'm filled with the desire to run, which may be the most important part of my rest cycle.

Is your body asking for some rest?  When was the last time you took a break from running?