Stepping off the HorseI never truly fell off the horse. In reality I stepped off the horse, it kicked me lightly a few times, and I walked away. I think it was more like a pony than a horse.
I took a break from running. In August and September I went hiking, gardened, did yoga, went to Colorado for a week, and ate at potlucks and barbeques. I spent a lot of time floating on air mattresses on our lake. My friends and I discovered that floating on water equals pure bliss.
In October and November I had a minor medical procedure (which required no running for three weeks), got sick twice, went on a three-day yoga retreat, and took two rounds of antibiotics. I just started my third and final round, but am happy to report that I feel healthy. Really, I feel good.
Back on the Horse
I now consider myself to be back on the horse.
I'll be running the Orcas Island 25K at Moran State Park in the San Juan Islands on January 28th. It climbs 3500 feet and should be a great ass-kicker.
Training the Horse
Workouts on my carefully crafted 12-week training plan include: yoga, weight training, cross training (eliptical, biking, x-country skiing), hiking, and two to three specific running workouts per week. I haven't done everything planned for each week, but I'm working up to it. Three weeks in and I'm feeling strong.
Giddy up.
