What’s a runner to do when you can’t run?

I had to have a mole removed that was benign but abnormal, so my dermatologist wanted it off.

Since it was large and because it was on my calf they sent me to a plastic surgeon.

I honestly didn’t care about a scar on the back of a leg, but they were more comfortable having the surgeon take care of it.

The downside is I wasn’t able to run or do anything high intensity for two weeks!

The procedure was also, of course because that’s how my life goes, done on the DAY I was to start marathon training.

So I had to find ways to keep my fitness up without using my legs for more than walking.

Cross Training

I have been concentrating a bit more on my core, so added a few extra ab workouts for those two weeks.

Like a lot of runners, I am TERRIBLE at cross training. I am sooo not consistent…I would rather be running than anything else.

I feel kind of like I’m cheating on running when I do another kind of exercise, even though I know it is actually meant to enhance my training.

If you follow this blog at all, you know I love me some Fitness Blender YouTube videos.

The workouts are interesting and go anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour, depending on the time you have and what your objective is.

I HATE workouts that do the same thing over and over…they bore me and I will tolerate them maybe once through.

Fitness Blender has some workouts where there are repeats of different exercises, but not over and over again.

Yoga is great for flexibility and I have been doing some “bedtime” yoga to help me sleep (sucks being in peri-menopause when it comes to sleeping), but I haven’t been so good at consistently getting to class.

Having to figure out what to do while on the mend, I started doing yoga every other day in the hope that I would keep up with it.

Again, I turned to YouTube since my gym has classes at times that don’t work great for me.

The channel I use is Yoga by Candace.

Strength Training

Strength training is important for runners and I am PRETTY good at keeping that up.

We (my husband and I) get to the gym in the evenings a few times a week, and since I get enough cardio with my running I do upper body work with both dumb bells and machines.

I also turn to Fitness Blender if I want a strength workout during the day.

Even though it drove me crazy not being able to run, it was nice being able to get some cross training in.

The weather mid-January in Buffalo during this time period had many days with wind chills below zero. So if ever there was a time for a break, this was it!

Mentally, runners need a break here and there as well. If you feel like you are slogging your way through a run just to get it done a rest may be in order.

Runner Burn Out

Runner burn-out is very real and we risk getting to a point where we hate the sport and dread every time we have to go outside.

If I’m feeling like I can’t drag myself out, I assess whether I just don’t feel like changing my clothes…don’t feel like being cold…or am I really having a mental block.

The fact that I HAD to take a break and I didn’t like it tells me I am not mentally needing one…so I change my clothes and get out there.

If I ever do start to dread running I want to make sure I take a breather and see what that’s all about.

UPDATE- So it’s been a few months since I wrote this post. It’s funny to read now, because I was definitely heading into a burnout phase without consciously knowing it.

The fact that it was part of the post shows I was unconsciously knowing I was headed there.

Next week I’ll share about runner’s burnout and how it is tied to over training…which was definitely the case with me!