It’s Been About a Year….
Since I’ve considered myself a *runner*.
In the spring of last year, I broke up with running and bid adieu to races, structured training plans and a whole lot of pressure.
I had ran two half marathons and a boatload of other races, but a few things made me realize that maybe running wasn’t my cup of tea.
I injured myself, which was a huge wake-up call that I was overtraining, and also knew that my favorite running buddy would be gone the rest of the year.
Thinking about long runs without him *could* have motivated me to tackle them on my own (or with a friend), but instead made me dread them.
What I miss about running:
The silence and calm… it was amazing “me” time and a great chance to think
Extra carbs!
(Instead of one of two piece of roti, I’d happily enjoy a whole basket)
New running shoes 🙂
Races
What I DON’T miss about running:
Ice baths!!!!
The whole “training” part
Competing against myself.
Running brought out a different layer of my Type A and perfectionist personality. Every time I ran, I felt like I had to perform better than the last time, which quickly sucked a lot of the run out of it.
Since I quit running, I’ve discovered so many other things that I LOVE:
Strengthening my yoga practice
DANCE TRANCE
Bootcamps and Bodyrock
and extra walks with my best four-legged friend.
I have to admit that after reading the spring race re-caps that have been popping up everywhere, I’ve considered getting back into running. Then, after thinking about it, I decided that if I get the itch to run, I’ll do it for fun sans pressure and leave the Garmin at home… but take my favorite Pilot with me 😉
Maybe running is your bread and butter and that’s what works for you. If that’s the case, awesome, and rock it out 🙂
Just a friendly little reminder to always listen to your body and do what’s best for YOU. There are a thousand workouts in the sea, and you’ll find one that you love and loves you back.
See ya later today!
xoxo
Gina
How did I not see this post until now?!
I absolutely, 100% agree with you in this post. While I have not broken up with running, I have broken up with competitive running. I quit track and I am so much happier now!
I have had a hard time explaining it to people but this post just about sums it up. I am super Type A as well and competitive running was no bueno for me.
Thank you so much for this post.
I am so glad you posted something like this! I have tried running and have been doing it this year, but no matter what I do i just dread it. I am not one of those people who see it as a release, just pain. All of the blogs I read and friends I have swear by running. I’m glad I’m not alone. 🙂
not alone at all! 🙂
Love this post… It’s something nobody talks about! I have had trainers tell me to stop running and others tell me to run more. I feel like I love/hate running and honestly do it more because It’s more convenient than the gym at times. I do have my first half marathon coming up so I’ve got to get serious sometime…
I’m so jealous of people that enjoy running, and their bodies are so lean and beautiful. But, when I run even for 10 seconds, it feels so awkward and just…not right. I have super lax ligaments throughout, and it just feels awkward. I’d rather Zumba for an hour than run for 2 min. 🙁 I hate that! I would LOVE to try biking.