Cooking isn’t the only thing that flew south over these past two months…
Running.
Running slowly but surely transitioned from a typical 15 mile week to a 10 mile week to a 6 mile week. I became solely focused on afternoon walks and a twice weekly yoga session (kitty play time doesn’t count, even while I *am* the one who does most of the running.)
I did just enough to make me feel energized, healthy, fit.
Despite having my own personal hangups with taking a hiatus or a cut in mileage, I’m actually a really big supporter of resting. Many trainers send their best runners into a hiatus during the holiday months, as a way for them to both physically and most importantly mentally take a break from the regime of running.
Anyone who loves running will tell you that a good run makes them feel on top of the world (the legendary “runner’s high.”) But running can and does become exhausting. It’s important to know yourself; to know when you need to step away.
Returning to running after a complete hiatus or a drastic cut in mileage doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world, by the way.
I’ll admit that my fitness level did deteriorate some, but not a lot. I continued running, just not nearly as much, which kept me in the groove. And while I’m not exactly ready to go out and run a marathon anytime soon, I can still keep a pretty steady pace for my typical 3-5 mile loop. The body can retain its fitness. as long as it’s continuously moving along with some form of cardio.
If you find it difficult to rest, like I often do, it’s important not to lose sight of what fitness is really all about. Health. And sometimes being healthy means taking a step back, lowering the intensity of the workout, and just enjoying the very movement and strength that your body possesses.
Sometimes, it’s okay to say cut back, which in the end helps us to move forward.
Sometimes, resting is a very good thing.
QUESTION: Do you have a favorite “high intensity workout”? Do you take regular breaks/hiatuses or do you stick with your regime?
"The Flying ONION." 
Welcome back 🙂 Your cat is precious!
I’ve become tired (physically AND mentally) of running in the past and taken a month or two “break” where I cut back my mileage so that I was only running a few times a week and then upped my cross training. These periods have always helped and I’ve found that when I do choose to start increasing my mileage, I really enjoy running again!
It’s always amazing how good a break can feel, isn’t it? 😀
I’m glad to see you back and always, I treasure your healthy living words of wisdom. My favorite high intensity workout right now is P90X Plyometrics. I do it about once a week, and then balance out life with walks, yoga, and running. I do love to run!
I’ve heard so much about P90X! I’ll have to check it out. 😀
I was forced to take running hiatus last year due to injury. Just as you did, I discovered that my body had retained much of its fitness when I returned to the sport six months later!
It’s amazing how well our bodies can hold on to fitness, as long as we stay active in other ways. 😀
So I know this post was about running but all I can do is focus on that pic you took of the lilacs! Ha, ha. SO pretty! And I need to come over to smell them, because they’re my favorite smelling flower!!
Don’t you just love lilacs? I went for a run yesterday and could smell them all the way down our street. It was lovely. 😀