I'm Back!

Today was the first time that I have run since completing the Peace, Love, Run 13.1 Half Marathon on June 24th. I always take at least 3 days off after running a Half Marathon. This time, however,  I ended up taking off 15 days. Why so many days? That wasn't my initial plan; but, in the end, I was glad I did it.

The Monday after Peace, Love, Run 13.1 I was stricken with a stomach virus. I was in the bathroom 30 minutes after eating (Sorry if that was TMI). That joyousness lasted until Thursday night. To rest my body from that wonderful experience, I decided to take off the rest of the week. I have found that in the long run my body responds better if I take a couple of additional days off after symptoms from an illness have dissipated.

Then last week, we took a family vacation to visit my Dad in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. I had every intention of packing up my running gear so that I run while I was down there. As I was packing, I decided to leave the gear at home. There's very few things that I love more than running. Spending time with my wife, children, and Dad happens to be one of them. So, I left the gear at home. That time with my family was time well spent. It truly was one of the best weeks of my life. I know! It is hard to believe I could have had such a great week without running being involved. I'm still boggled by that one.

Alas, that great week with my family at the beach had to end, and we headed home Saturday afternoon arriving home at 1:30 am on Sunday morning. With Sunday and Monday being non-running days for me, today was the first opportunity that I had to run, and it was all that I could think about all day. The run did not disappoint. Running up and down the hills in my neighborhood was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. Best of all, the temps were in the low 90s. It was totally awesome.

I have no intention of taking another two week hiatus for quite some time. However, I will be taking advantage of any rest days that I have between now and my next big race - the Hershey Half Marathon on October 21. That race is another reason why I think tonight's run felt so good. It was the official kick-off run for my fall race training. I am really upping my game this time by increasing the number of days per week I will be running and I am adding cross-training in the form of P90X. Here's to being back in my running shoes and embracing an intense training regimen.