Runner Not Running ... 6 weeks and counting

It’s been about 6 weeks since my last run. While my friends said these 8 weeks would “fly by” in the back of my head I thought … “pfffft, yeah right.” (Sorry friends!) But I’m going to confess ... I'm shocked at how fast it’s been going. While I have looked at my friends in pain after long runs and hard races and said “I’M SO JEALOUS OF YOU RIGHT NOW!!!” (because lets be honest, nothing beats the physical pain of accomplishment) as much as I hate to admit it, there has actually been some good things about taking some time off from running.

Here are a few things that are actually great about NOT running:

You don’t spend your Sunday afternoon debilitated: After my long runs, I generally spend the rest of the day super out of it. Now, I feel like I have some extra time to get cleaning, groceries and all that fun life stuff done.

I’m eating healthier: A few of you will be able to attest to the fact that when I got injured one of the first things that came out of my mouth (including a fair amount of profanity ) was that I was not so happy that I was going to have to watch what I eat. Not that I eat unhealthy to begin with - in fact, I’m pretty darn healthy. But without running, I felt like I had be more diligent. Can’t complain about that

You get to watch your friends accomplish their goals: Normally I would be out on the course myself, so I would miss my friends doing amazing things. This past weekend I got to watch Michelle make a plan, set a goal and smash the shit out of it. She took 1st place female at Pick Your Poison 12.5K in Horseshoe Valley and 2nd place overall - a mere 7 seconds behind the overall 1st place finisher. She is such an inspiration to watch compete – her grit and determination is admirable. You can see a video of her finish on my Instagram here.

THEN after helping me deal with my broken tent, move my Ragnar display inside - - she went back out on the course to support her friend Tanya on the last loop of her first 50K for a 2nd place finish!

One of my favourite things about Pick Your Poison was spotting Ben at the top of the hill on every loop and watch him FLY down it. His speed gave me a slight heart attack - but it was so fun to watch. He finished in 3rd place overall in the 50K. Watch Ben finishing his second 12.5K loop on my Instagram here.

Congratulations to all my friends who conquered Pick your Poison, my friends who conquered BOSTON a few weeks ago and everyone who is out there kicking ass at their goal races!

You get to hang out with your friends’ kids: While Melly was out running at Terra Cotta 5 Peaks, Dan and I got to chill with her little giraffe – and we had so much fun! I also got to be there to see many of my friends run their first (and very muddy) trail race!

Just because you are not running, doesn’t mean you can’t go along for the ride: And by that, I actually mean ride! I think one of the biggest fears you face when you can’t run, is that you also miss out on your social time. I have accompanied Vanessa on some long runs and Tuesday night workouts on my bike. It keeps me in my routine, and then she doesn’t have to go it alone. I also went on a City Running Tour with Dan Grant (who I was proud to add to my Community/Crew page) and a JP’s Team run on my bike (photos by Edison Yao)!

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The latest and VERY exciting development is that I am going to be a driver for a Ragnar Road Team (Coburg to Niagara) made up of a bunch of my favourite people! I cannot wait to spend a few days driving, GoPro-ing and just having a great time with my friends. I'm really excited to be able to support this amazing team!

I have diversified my workouts even more: Right now I’m focusing on swimming, pool running, strength training, cycling and spinning. I don’t love it (except for my Monday night Strength Training for Runners class – it’s so hard and so fun). But I do it. I get through it. And I hope I continue it all even when I can run. This was actually one of my goals for this year – so I'm looking at it in a positive light!

That running before your ready is just not worth it: When I first found out about my stress fractures, the wheels in my head were turning …. I was negotiating with myself. Maybe I can do this or maybe that …. But now I’ve settled on the fact that I’m not interested in running through an injury. It doesn’t make me stronger. It doesn’t make me better. It doesn’t prove anything. I’m going to respect the amount of time my body needs to heal – whether that is 8 weeks, or 12 or … whatever. I am more determined to come back better and stronger than before.

While I absolutely cannot WAIT to lace up again, I have to say I’ve really enjoyed these last few weeks being off. I have also really appreciated everyone’s support.

I do have one confession to make though … I did run. Once. For about 20 feet. So I could get another one of Edison Yao’s amazing photographs! Shhhh ... don't tell my coach!