In February after the Austin Half Marathon I started my running sabbatical. I was exhausted from running and racing a lot in 2014. 14 races actually last year, 9 of them half marathons. I was on the verge of hating running. And as a devote runner that frightened me!
I decided to stop running and take a running sabbatical until I was ready again to go out for a run for the pure love of running!
What did my running sabbatical do for me?
- Rest. Rest. Rest. Initially I slept a lot. My body was soaking in the extra rest like a sponge.
- New hobbies: Yoga.
- Rekindle with old hobbies: Reading and Photography.
- Healthy Eating. I wasn’t in starving mood anymore after a long weekend run and was able to eat more healthy and stop overeating.
- Social Life. My non-running friends recognize my face again.
I love all of the above. It’s been a great 3 months and I realize that my running shouldn’t be an obsession and running 14 races a year is possibly too much (for me). LOL. Having taken the time to detach and let other pastimes take over, has been fun and I don’t want to miss any of the above in my life.
For 3 months I didn’t run. My sneakers sat hidden in the closet. They looked saddened at me when I did give them a glance.
And then -a few weeks ago- I was ready to pick those sneakers up again and take them for a spin along the trail. I loved it. It was possibly my happiest run in the past 6 months.
What a happy day!
