November 24, 2020

I’m definitely feeling how different this year is for running. No Turkey Trot this year, no marathon back in May. No Half-Marathons in the Spring and Fall.

No racing means not being technically in training, and while I wrote my own schedule that I followed once I found out I no longer had a marathon to run, I became bored with it around a month or so ago.

Usually in the Fall I enter an “off-season” time, where I run less mileage and try to keep the runs on the easy side in preparation for the rigors of marathon training that starts in January.

I am fairly certain that with Boston already calling it for the Spring that the Flying Pig in Cincinnati will end up being virtual, which I was supposed to run last May and was able to defer to either 2021, 22 or 23.

I know lots of runners are doing the virtual racing thing, but I just can’t get myself to want to do that. I thought about it, and virtual races still clutter my inbox, but when it comes down to it I just am not feeling it.

This means my off-season could stretch out until who knows when!

It’s funny, a while back I entered a running slump while marathon training. Part of my problem was running felt like work to me.

Now I feel like I may be entering one because there isn’t anything to train for. The mind is a funny thing, and running (or any exercise) is as much mental as it is physical.

It may be time for me to reread  Mindful Running again!

Training is motivation for me, even though I do love to run just for the sake of running. But, it is hard for me to want to run 10 miles just for the heck of it in the winter as opposed to knowing I HAVE to in order to keep up with my schedule.

A few weeks ago I went to visit one of sons in Oregon. He lives in Bend with his wife and our 10-month-old granddaughter. He had an exceptionally hard year as a wildland firefighter, having to rescue people and homes in addition to the forest.

Before I left, New York had a quarantine list of states that had high levels of Covid. Oregon was (miraculously) one of the few states that WASN’T on it. This meant that Dave and I would not need to self-quarantine for 14 days when we got back.

The moment we landed in Redmond and I turned on my phone, I saw that the rules were changing and “the list” had been eliminated. Now everyone needed to get a Covid test before coming to New York and provided it was negative we had to quarantine for 3 days and then on day 4 get another test. We could not leave quarantine until getting the second negative test.

Of course, this kind of thing happens to me all the time, lol!

We found a place in Bend that we could get a walk-in test and after having our brains tickled from the swab we waited 3 days and were told we were negative.

Once home, we stayed home another 3 days and the morning of the 4th day we went to a place that online said they had rapid tests. Of course (!), we found out after doing all the paperwork that the tests were not rapid and we would have to wait up to 4 days for results.

This predicament contributed to why I haven’t been able to run for two weeks…the longest stretch since last December.

I was able to run yesterday and today and it is incredible how much your body gets used to not doing anything. I also had to run at 5:45 AM if I wanted to run with my husband.

It is getting colder and darker in the mornings so that isn’t as fun either…I mean 5:45 is never FUN, but it feels much more doable in the summer.

The run today felt better in the legs, so that was a plus. We went later in the morning, so having been up longer probably contributed to me feeling a bit looser. I was also able to eat breakfast, which I don’t usually do and I can sometimes feel like I’m not fueled enough on a run when I just roll out of bed.

Dave and I were talking as we were running about how much we motivate each other and hold each other accountable. There have been many times that one of us hasn’t wanted to get out there, but one of us usually gets the other to go.

I don’t run with a group since I have him, but I understand why people like them. It is HARD to stick to things when it’s just you. Whether it’s eating healthier or exercise or getting through school or whatever, having someone you can count on to help you or even just listen can be the thing you need to keep you in the game.

As older runners, we need to keep up the motivation so that our fitness levels can stay high. I’ve been in menopause for a little over 2 years so I know that it is even more important that I stay active in order to be able to keep doing everything I love (including eating…If that qualifies as a hobby, then that is one of mine)!

As you can tell, this post is more just a rambling of what I’ve been thinking about in the last few weeks. I usually try to make my posts a little more “educational”, but I am going to try to mix that up with some that are more personal so you can get to know ME a bit better.

If you have any questions for me let me know. I can be reached through the Contact section on this website, or email at sherrry@wrinkledrunner.com