Reality Check

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It's hard to believe that it has been over 10 days since I laced up my running shoes. When I finished LA marathon, I knew the only answer to my foot issues was going to be taking some time off, and I was scared. Scared for what that would mean, scared that I wouldn't know what to do with myself, scared at ruining my training for my upcoming races...

What actually happened is quite the opposite. I'm the type of person that when I set my mind to do something, it's all I can see. I go ALL IN no matter what. This can be positive or negative. It's part of the reason I've made it to so many finish lines, but it also keeps me from seeing the 'bigger picture' at times.

As the exhilaration of actually finishing LA marathon faded away and the freedom of not having to go for a run lost it's novelty... I found myself looking around at my not-so-clean house, evaluating where I should really be at with school, and calculating how much money I've spent on running over the last year and a half, and I've got to be honest, it's not a pretty picture.

I'm not saying that I have regrets, because I don't. I'm just grateful for the chance to step back and look at things from a different perspective. Does that mean when Monday rolls around and my doctor-imposed  moratorium on running is over, you won't find me out there hitting the pavement with a smile on my face? Absolutely not. Well at least, I hope not (fingers crossed for a happy pain-free foot). 

I'm still a runner, its part of who I am now. But it's not all I am. I'm a mother and a wife too and I have other non-running goals that haven't seen as much commitment as they should have. So instead of worrying about what race to sign up for next, I'm just going to focus on what I've got on my plate right now and making sure all of my priorities are in order.

What does that mean for my race schedule? So far, nothing changes, yet. The Chiro has recommended focusing on my next half marathon, which is on Easter weekend and then evaluating which distance to take on at BMO, although he was suggesting dropping to the half. Calgary full marathon is my next BIG goal race on June 1st which I'm confident I have time to train for, assuming my foot cooperates. However, it may mean dropping Run for Water and putting my quest for Marathon Maniac status on hold for this year. Only time will tell at this point.

Balance is a struggle for everyone I think. How do you balance running with the rest of your life? Do you find it to be a challenge?

Ultra Dilemma

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It's no secret that over the past month or so I have been struggling with race planning for 2014.

I ran so many races this year that it's been quite difficult narrowing down my plans for next year. I've gotten quite used to having a lofty goal like running 13 half marathons in 2013 that I'm finding it hard to just focus on one race to the next. I really want to pick a goal for next year. I know I've got another marathon in me but the question is which one and whether it will be more than one in 2014.

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking about commiting to an ultra marathon. This is a HUGE momentous decision especially with only one full marathon under my belt. The one I've been looking at has some unique requirements and I'm going to have to sit down and really think about what that means for me. 

If not the ultra marathon, I have a another goal in mind... Obtaining 'marathon maniac' status. As you may already know, I've had my half fanatic status for a while so the logical next step would be to go for the full enchilada so to speak...

There are guidelines that need to be met to obtain this status and the absolute minimum would be to complete 3 full marathons in 90 days. This would be doable for me between May-June, beginning with the BMO Vancouver Marathon. 

You might be wondering, couldn't I do both? Well yes, that is a possibility but I'm desperately trying not to completely overdo it and burnout, so picking one focused goal at a time for me is important. 

Either way, it looks like I'll be running some big races in 2014.

Have you nailed down your 2014 race schedule yet?