First off, we’re back! It was a whirlwind of a trip to Boston, but we had a blast!

I’m more at peace with my decision not to run it this time. The weather really had an effect on so many people and I feel that if I had pushed myself through it, it would have ended pretty badly.

I’m working on getting my husband to write up a full recap of his race. It was a tough day for him, but he still managed to place 52nd overall! I’m very proud, but would love to let you all hear it from him and how his experience was. More to come on that soon!

 

Today I wanted to focus on something a lot of runners hate – not running. The truth is, the longer you are a runner the higher your chances of either being sidelined by injury or something else (like myself).  I’ve been sidelined several times since I started running, and it really never gets easier.

So, what do you do when you are forced to take time off?

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I’m not perfect at this, but I have gotten better at coming to terms with it and focusing on the things I do have control over. Here are a few ways I work to get through a period of no running.

 

Rest Up!

The past year and half has been filled with 4:00 AM mornings almost 4 days a week. It’s been really draining some days, but it was the best way for me to get my training in while I could.

I’d much rather be running in the morning, but I’ve been enjoying getting an extra hour (or two) of sleep each night. Sleep is going to be extremely important to aid in your recovery no matter what you are struggling with.

Let your body rest!

 

Focus on Strength

Please note this should only be done if you do not have an injury that would be made worse by doing so. When I had my femoral stress fracture I did not do any strength work for 6-8 weeks.

Strength work is the number one thing that many runners leave out of their routine. As our training schedules increase it becomes even easier to put it on the back burner. Time off of running is a great time to work on increase your strength.

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Not only will this help you get your endorphins pumping but it can help you come back even stronger when you return to running.

 

Clean Up Your Diet

I don’t know about you all, but when I am in marathon training I end up eating more junk that I normally would. I am hungry all the time and it drives me crazy.

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At times when my running is cut back, I like to take the opportunity to work on cleaning up my diet. I like to really focus in on the nutrients in my food and look at what I am putting in my body. This helps because once I start running again I’ve cut a lot of the junk out. However, I never completely eliminate treats – they are important!

 

Get Your Support System

I love to run and in many ways am blessed to be married to such a passionate runner because we understand each other. We understand that it’s important to go to bed early on a Friday night for a Saturday long run. We understand that the week before a big race dinners are going to be pretty bland. We also understand how hard it is when you can’t run.

When injuries happen having those around you that understand is important. To people who don’t run they may not understand why you are making such a big deal out of not being able to run. You running friends can be a great support system because they understand how hard it is.

Having these people around is important because it allows you to vent when needed.

 

Don’t Focus on It

You are going to feel down for a bit, and that’s okay! In some ways you just have to have yourself a little pity party and then move on.  They key is not to sit around and sulk. It sucks, it’s not fun, but there isn’t much you can do to change it except to take care of yourself.

 

Focusing on it will only make it worse, so the best thing you can do is keep yourself busy and find other ways to keep your mind occupied.

 

Not running is brutal. It’s not fun and there is really no good way to sugar coat it; however, your attitude is everything. Keep focusing on how you can make yourself stronger when you do start running again and keep your head up!

Also, for those of you who are injured or having to not run for whatever reason and don’t have anyone to talk to about it – feel free to shoot me an email at runningwifesara{at}gmail{dot}com.

 

What is the last injury you had?

What is the longest you have gone without running?

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