It's been a couple of months, and being honest it's not been a great couple. Training has been non-existent other than a couple of easy runs. Burpees have been put on ice and the battle has been getting my head in the right place. Life happens. Kids having issues with school. Work and my business going through a very high pressure phase. My energy levels on life-support the last 6-8 weeks out the back of the summer. I could feel burnout just on the edge of my periphery and had to simply dig in and work through the ten different directions I've been being pulled in. Managing stress has been the number one priority, along with keeping the home fires burning. I've not had the bandwidth to cut time to train, and I have absolutely lacked the energy to do anything remotely approaching quality.
But that's OK. There was no point in making life harder and putting myself under further stress by worrying about missing workouts. This blog isn't how I make my living, and I've no interest in creating a false narrative of how awesome my world is like most 'Influencers'. So there is no point in hurting myself mentally, spiritually or physically just so I can chest thump how awesome I must be.
No. This is a period I desperately needed to create a 'gap' to miss what I've been doing for the last few years, rather than starting to be crushed by it.
I'm not alone. So many of us lead very busy lives, with large amounts of stress and other priorities. Others close to us need us to be there for them a bit too. They've been the priority.
It's given me the chance to heal, and have to confess after spending the last 4 years in a state of constant inflammation having a few months out has been a blessing. I've also lost a few pounds (now 101kg down from 107Kg in the summer) which has also been beneficial.
The biggest win in all this though is the desire to get back onto trails is coming back. Out on a Sunday for a couple of cheeky 7K runs has been good for the soul. No agenda for time, no agenda for pace, just out in the woods, the hills and the footpaths to start shaking out a few cobwebs.
Yes, my fitness is through the floor. An easy 7K run that would have had be in the 130 bpm heart rate range, now sees me in the 147pm zone. But I'm cool with that. I promised myself no meaningful running training until Christmas and the New Year. I'm still holding that promise, but I've missed running. And that is the biggest win of all right now. I'll be kicking back off with my Calisthenics this week a couple of times a week, and adding in some very slow zone 2 runs over the next two months just to get my aerobic base back. The big shift for me is that I'm now thinking of what is to be my next adventure. I'm taking an interest in a couple of different options which I'll be thinking of over the next few months. I'm fancying something multi-day. I love the adventure element of that, and after what I experienced in the Outer Hebrides last year, I feel this is more of the adventure I'm seeking. I've no desire to 'race', but instead to explore (but of course over a few very long distances). I'm 50. Still a heavy runner. Still remarkably busy with my business and family life; but I need something to work towards, to chase, to strive for. It brings me focus and tests my commitment. It's something I have to show up for in order to get the most out of it. Besides, I can't have my 5'9, 12 year old son, swimming at county championship level now, have all the fun, can I ;-) (any swim parents will understand how much of a time commitment that is! LOL)
I'll keep updating, and watch this space for more of my travels on this long road.
Thanks for reading.
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