Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Hanging Up My Running Shoes


It’s officially October! My absolute favorite month of the year (of course, this could be because it’s my birthday month...), but I also love the beautiful colors, crunching leaves, and let’s not forget fall means it’s leggings and sweater weather - The best, most comfortable attire there is. Pardon me while I open a window and take a second to breathe in this cool, fall air…

Beautiful. Ok, now back to reality! I can’t help but think about what I was doing this time last year – Training and nervously awaiting the Market to Market Relay race, a mere 12 days away. I remember hoping and praying not only that I wouldn’t let my team down, but that I would also just survive the 9 miles I had signed up for months ago. And guess what?  I did! In fact, the best part about it is that it sprung me back into running. And I continued to run, day in and day out, races here and there, another appearance at the Lincoln Half Marathon (with a PR at 2:07), until about the middle of July.

Why did I quit running in July? Well, I’m happy to announce that the hubby and I are expecting baby #2 in February! I could not feel more blessed about this new addition to our lives and we’re both over the moon excited for our growing family. And yet I must (selfishly) confess that I still have days where I struggle with my personal decision to put running on hold for the remainder of the pregnancy. I love to run. I feel like it’s part of who I am. Some days I miss running so much, I actually crave it over the ice cold, blended margarita that I haven’t had since Memorial Day weekend. Some days, I’m even afraid I’ll forget what running feels like… Eek! The horror!   

But deep down inside, I know that taking a few months off of running to ensure a healthy baby is such a small price to pay. So I remind myself every day that my legs and my Garmin are still in good working order and there’s no reason to give up on exercise all together. In fact, my Dr. recommends I keep moving! So, my running shoes are now walking/elliptical/light strength training shoes and will stay that way until I can pound the pavement again this spring.

To take an even more positive spin, I’ve decided  I’ll take the next few months to blog about what workouts I’m doing, how I’m coping with running withdrawals, and how I’m attempting to stay healthy with those blasted pregnancy cravings (hello, McDonald’s French fries… we meet again). I’m hoping that by writing everything out, it will keep me on the right track and keep me accountable!

So, dear running shoes, while I revoke your running privileges for the time being, please don’t fail me in my quest to stay active these next few months!

With Love,

Kris

No comments:

Post a Comment