Running... whats next?

Good morning sunshine!

I am drinking coffee and eating baked pumpkin oatmeal right now as I sit at my desk. I feel so autumn-ish :)

Last night I went on my 4th run post-marathon.

Yep, the race was two and a half weeks ago, and here I am, averaging less than two runs a week. Woop-dee-doo. I've done some strength training, lots of long walks, and lots of sleeping late.

After running a marathon, my body is physically spent. Race day takes a lot out of me, but so does the training process. I averaged 40-50 miles every week from July-October. My body is tired.

Even more than the physical aspect, my mind was exhausted. Training, racing, recovering... it is a mental journey. I've spent the last few months pushing myself and I needed a break. Time to miss running. Time to run and stop when I am tired. Time to find other physical outlets.

When we train for big races, we need to allow ourselves time to recover - mentally and physically. If we don't give ourselves enough time in between, we start approaching burnout and injury.

So what I am doing for now? I am focusing on strength training and speed work. Lots of short runs (under 8 miles) and the occasional longer run. I am not following a plan, just running. I want to do a spring half marathon - have I mentioned that I've only ever done one half? I am also doing a 10k in March and hoping for a PR :)

Confession: I really want to do a spring full marathon, but I haven't convinced AR yet!

Until then, I'll be at the gym or running through my neighborhood. Probably without my Garmin.

Anyone else train for long races? How do you recover? How long before you go back at it? 

x0x0, 

Hannah