Today is one of those days that it really seems criminal not to go running. It’s the first gorgeous, warm-enough day in MONTHS to grace my presence and I want nothing but to get out there on the trails.
It’s so hard to say no! I’m taking some time off — despite it making me feel a tad bit crazy. I’ve gone 7 full days without working out — aside from one brief swim. For exercise lovers like me, 7 days feels more like 7 weeks.
But…life is a marathon not a sprint and sometimes longer breaks are necessary, especially for those of us prone to lower back problems, strains or other lovely bodily injuries.
I worked so hard in the past year to build up my strength and tone my body that it’s really tough to let that go. It’s hard to know I won’t be able to come back and squat what I was squatting, that I will be further away from the strict pull-up I want to get.
These times, though, allow you to focus on other stuff — the stuff you don’t make time for when the workout is high priority. I always write more in downtimes and last year, it helped me focus on my freelance side hustle — which paid off big time in the end.
Next week, I’m starting a new job. Clearly, I will need a lot of time to focus, learn and get things done there. New jobs are exciting, but also demanding. This is the perfect time to chill out on the workouts. God always knows what I need, doesn’t He?
More importantly, I get two days off before my new job starts and I am going home to Indiana tomorrow to meet my new nephew Louis in person for the first time! I also get to hang out with this his super cool and hilarious brother, Marshall. Oh yeah, and my sister, aunts, grandparents, Dad and more (sadly, my Mom is flying to Haiti tomorrow for a medical trip and I will not get to see her:( !! )
Since my Grandma passed away, I’ve come to value family more than ever before. It shouldn’t take someone dying for that to happen, but it was certainly a wake up call. What really matters in this life more than faith, family and true friends? Nothing. So this is what they mean by getting older an wiser? I think so.
So, if you can run, go run a couple of miles for me. I’ll be back out there soon enough. Oh yeah, and call your Mom and tell her you love her if you can.
