Well, I have had 3 weeks of absolutely no running, ok I freaked out one day and went for a 20 min jaunt, but basically 3 weeks with no running. I feel good.

After a long season of running my body was screaming for some time off, I’m normally a little stubborn, but thought I would see if I could do a little cross training and let my body reset itself, heal up some plantar fasciitis and other niggles that need healing.  My wife wanted to try out a gym membership for the winter and get her legs back after her first 50K. I thought it would be smart to join her, do a little cross training and spend some time in the sauna stretching, massaging and sweating out some toxins.

I now crave the trails even more and am so excited to get back into by daily routine. A peaceful couple hour run, 3000 ft of climbing and the much-needed quiet time I enjoy in my daily trek climbing mountains and weaving the trails. This is what I was missing, my body was happy to rest and is now ready for another packed season of running.

Rest is an important part of taking care of your body and I feel the key to a long enjoyable life of running is the moments of rest. Ultra running can be very demanding on your body’s joints, muscles, organs, hormone producing glands and mind. Taking a moment to let it sink in, look back at all the fun times and get excited for more is something I hope to do every year.

I guess I should start running again

Now that I’ve had time to add on a few pounds, kick the feet up and bum around the house in sweats just a little more then usual, I’m ready to start running. My first couple runs have felt amusingly awkward. Sometimes running can feel effortless, like floating.  I find it comforting to fumble and stumble through these last few days’ efforts, as I know I am building a strong foundation to build on throughout the year.

My plan is to progressively keep adding miles the next few weeks until I’m back to 100 or so a week. After that feels comfortable and the legs respond I will start incorporating some tempo work and increase my effort each week until races are upon me. I’m really looking forward to where ultra running is going and I look forward to being a part of some exciting events this year in beautiful places.