'Fessing up and coming clean

Oh, is my heart, mind, and tummy full! And I have some things I need to share (and runfess to everyone).

It's been a crazy week of inactivity (hello? marathon recovery:101), and my thoughts and emotions have been all over the place since the Route 66 finish line.



We've all been there. You invest a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of time, energy, and training over the course of several months, all in anticipation of a successful day at your big race. You battle your way to the finish line, receive your medal, grab a small snack.....and then what?

Usually, I have another race lurking down the road....but not this year. Route 66 is the biggest race I have done this late in the season, and with the colder-than-cold weather headed my way, there's not much else for races in my part of the country for the next few months. And, that's all well and good.

It's good because my body (and my "running" mind) need some recovery and downtime. I had some unexpected hip/groin pain and strain for most of those 26.5 miles last Sunday (you read that correctly, there was a small .3-mile "optional detour" we could take, making our race distance actually that of Ultra status!). I spent several miles leading up to the marathon/half marathon split-off (around the 12-mile mark) contemplating the 13.1 finish line (instead of the 26.2, for which I'd trained)....then, I spent another 5-6 miles talking myself out of turning around and heading BACK to the 13.1 finish line (at mile 18, I reached an impasse...and continued on to the 26.5 finish line). The frustration of the hip/groin thing was a tough mental (and physical) battle...and there were several instances when I questioned my ability to finish the race at all (did I mention the route was constant hills? and there was lots of wind?).

So, what needs to be runfessed?

Runfession #1: The Route 66 race recap is STILL in the works.
In the midst of coming to terms with the less-than-desired outcome of my race, I have not been able to sort out all the pertinent details into a race recap (yet).  My thoughts have been all over the place (frustration from the tough course, pride in having the endurance to finish, disappointment with my finish time, in awe of the beauty of the course, irritation from the crazy wind that day, and acceptance for how the race played out).  Bear with me...and do stay tuned.

a necessary pic along the Route 66 course (near mile 12)

Runfession #2: I like the freedom of not having anything "big" on my immediate calendar.
Although I'm used to always being in motion, it's liberating to not be constantly worrying about the weather or thinking/planning the next workout or training run. Coach Suz advised me to take two complete weeks off, not just to let the hip/groin thing heal,but also to let my entire body recover. After all, I did just spend the past three months training for Route 66, and there were many miles logged and lots of wear and tear on my body. I even resorted to walking (instead of running) for my #nevermissaMonday obligation this week (which did fall on the day following the race).

Never miss a Monday, late afternoon.....complete with DOMS

Runfession #3: The planking is still going strong, though I'm not posting (daily) about it.
I can honestly say that I love planking. I do planks every day, no excuses. The difference (for this month) is that I'm challenging myself to do additional minutes "on the floor," in hopes of reaching 150 minutes for November. I'm currently at 118 minutes, so I'm well on track to reach (and probably surpass) that goal.

#planks4thewin

Runfession #4: I did a short, very easy-paced run on Thanksgiving Day.
There, I said it. Myself and a friend have organized a Turkey Trot in our small town. This was our fifth year doing it, and I just couldn't stay home on Thanksgiving morning. It's a free event, and we have 1-mile, 2-mile, and 5K options. We also encourage participants to bring non-perishable food items, which we donate to our local food pantry. This year, we had over 100 participants, collected over 200 pounds of food, and received over $100 in cash donations! I had every intention of just walking, but when I got to the race site, I decided to try to run a short distance...and stop immediately if anything felt weird, strained, or off. Well, everything felt great! I ran really slow, and chatted with some of the others runners and just enjoyed the experience of being in motion. After the past few days of soul-searching and reflection, this simple easy run was just what I needed for reassurance of my ability and a huge dose of mental clarity.....

ready for the Turkey Trot to begin

....which leads me to my final runfession....
Runfession #5: I am streaking (again)...but with extreme caution.
Now, let me explain. I am going into this with eyes wide-open and a very cautious approach. I have done the Runner's World Winter Run Streak for the past few years. Typically, I am NOT a daily runner (nor am I an advocate for streaking), but this has been a fun change-of-routine for me in years past. As I said, I have nothing on my calendar...so I'm at a loss as to what to be working towards. Obviously, my body needs recovery time from the marathon, and I plan to honor that. My streaking runs will be the 1-mile minimum (at least for these first couple weeks), and they will be very slow (like a controlled jog, if you will) and easy-paced. And, if I feel the slightest of any discomforts, I will stop. I promise.

Bonus****Runfession #6: I consumed many more calories than I burned off at Thanksgiving.
Oh well, it happens. I am still sort of riding the 2600+ calorie deficit from Route 66, so there's that. I plan to get in some serious Black Friday walking as well.

Enough about me. How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do a turkey trot? Favorite Thanksgiving dish? Black Friday...yay or no way?

I'm linking up with Marcia for the monthly Runfessions.....I have a feeling I'm not the only one coming clean on some stuff. Also, I'm linking up with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0. Do head over and check out what everyone's been up to.