zero week

First the first time in years, I took a week off of running following the Vermont City Marathon.  The race didn't go anywhere near as well as hoped, and I felt like I needed the week to rest and recover physically, and maybe ever more so mentally.  I ran zero miles between Monday and the following Monday.  I was surprised to find that I didn't even have much of an urge to run until the end of the week.  This was probably largely due to being so busy.

successful recovery includes ciders

Tuesday I started a new job as a charge nurse for the same company I was working for, but in a new location.  Saturday was moving day.  NH to Boston to NH and then back to Boston.  Sunday we spent the day unpacking and trying to get settled.  Getting over a bad marathon, starting a new job, and moving makes for a pretty stressful week, especially when you don't have running to help relieve some of it.  But, with the exception of the race, the other stressors were more exciting than anything else.

new views

By the end of the week I was feeling more than ready to hit the roads again.  I emailed my coach, Stephanie, telling her I was very excited to start training again and working towards my next goals.  So far this week I've had 3 solid runs, which have included a lot of exploring my new town.

Tuesday: 9 x 2 min on, 2 min off at 10k pace with warm up and cool down
Wednesday: 40 min easy
Thursday: 4 x 1 mile @ marathon pace with 1 min rest + warm up and cool down

I must say, I am loving it here.

I'm really happy I took that week off to get my mind and my body in the right place to run again.  I've been reminded this week of why I love running so much.  It's the challenges and the achievements that make it all worth while.  I'm ready to see what this next chapter brings.