Change of plan!

"It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday..."

Just quoting some Rebecca Black. ;)

Sorry for getting the post up so late - normally I have them written in advance so I can post them before school! 

I actually already had a post ready to go, but I decided to go ahead and write a totally new one. You may know that I've been dealing with some medical issues, as I've mentioned in this post and a few more back. I had planned on touching on what my game plan, but it got really long, almost like I was venting to myself. Which honestly, I probably needed that. Believe me, I've had my fill of pity-parties in the last couple of weeks. 

Over the last week or so, I've gotten myself in a better mental state about my decision: it's time to take a running hiatus. 

There's a lot of factors that have led me to this decision - but the main point is is that my body needs a break, and needs to get to its peak health again. 

Near the end of the season, my legs had really been starting to hurt - like more than normal! After running a mile, my legs would be sore for days, and I got super out of breath. I was also tired and pretty much hated running. I'm pretty sure I was suffering from the beginning stages of over-training, which means I stopped running immediately. I didn't even run my last race, something I kept from you guys just because it didn't seem that important at the time. 

This was incredibly frustrating to me, because I told myself something like that wouldn't happen. But slowly (reallyreallyslowly), through prayer, and talking it out with my friends/teammates, I came to accept that my body burned out, and I have to accept that. 

I'm on my 3rd week of rest and 2nd week of complete rest (I was tapering 3 weeks ago). I thought I would only need a week to recover, but yeah....1 weeks, 6 weeks. Eh.

Anyways, I've also got the *insert lady problem* to deal with. I've got an appointment with an adolescent gynecologist next week (who knew people could even specialize in that...) just to make sure there's no hormonal/thyroid issues going on. Yes, I'm a little bit nervous. 

Lastly, I have to gain 10-15 lbs, per my nutritionist's (and most likely the gynecologist's) orders. I know for a fact that this, with rest, will be really good for my health and running. I still plan on the Winter Training Program within the next few months (I'm going to talk to my N about it), summer running, and cross country - but however long my body needs to recover, I'm going to honor that. 

My fears: I already know it's not going to be easy all the time. There are moments where eating what I want when I want is the best idea ever, and some where I get stressed. I'm feel like I'm going to lose all my endurance and muscle. Body image will be a little hard to swallow sometimes. Resting a lot can be freaking hard. 

But I know it's what best for me right now, I'm ready to push through, and I know that the benefits will far outweigh my fears. I feel really at peace that running is still going to be in my life, and I'm not going to have to give it up. Despite my anxieties, I know that I'm not going to balloon up. 

Right now? I'm just taking it really easy, mainly walks. I'll probably throw in some yoga and maybe some strength, but that's it for now. Oh yeah, and eating. A lot. Luckily, I'm actually enjoying the really low-intensity workouts - I guess my body knows it doesn't need high-intensity right now, because I have absolutely no desire to. All in all, I'm trying to be thankful for this time of rest that I need, and not stress.

So there you have it - my change of plan! After my doctor and N appointment, I'll probably have to give a quick update based on results/opinions. 

For now, the couch is where it's at. 

Have a good night, loves!