A Day In The Life of a Running Break

My coach and I decided to take a week off of running mostly for my mental health and to give my CNS a rest. I have no injury nor suffer from mental burnout, I simply know the signs my body needs a break. It also seemed opportune, though I did not know it at the time. A huge snowstorm hit a few days into my break, and boy did I not want to run in that. I am patiently waiting for them to plow the roads while taking my training indoors.

Because I didn’t have a race, nor was my body completely sore and spent, I have maintained some light cross training this past week. I haven’t done any strength workouts, but have set them up for next week when I return to training. I have done some biking, elliptical and used the arc trainer, which resembles hiking and hill work indoors.

My body feels good and I feel like it’s maintaining some muscle tension without taxing my heart. I haven’t breathed hard nor really broke a sweat. My heart and mind are resting. Below is a day in the life of a break from running, with no injury and still light training.

7:30AM: 60-90 minutes of biking while reading a book, mobility and foam rolling

9:30-10:00AM: breakfast

11:30AM: walk to work

12:00-8:15PM: work/lunch/work

8:15PM: walk home

9:00PM: dinner

10:00PM: foam roll/read

10:30PM: eat snack

11:00PM: bed

I am only an expert in what I am feeling in the present moment. I took a few days completely off, but then introduced some light movement, which has been wonderful. I am making my way through a fabulous fantasy book series which keeps me attention while I put in some miles indoors.

Looking toward next week, I am really excited to get back to running! Winter miles are slow and filled with conversation; it’s much easier to get out in the cold and dark weather when someone meets you. I want to test out the Korkers (like YakTraks) that I have for my shoes. They should grip the ice so I don’t slip. The weight room stuff I have planned will also be a good challenge, I just need to get the movements down.

No races coming up, but a whole bunch of training. Winter makes me tough, but Spring cannot come soon enough.