My first week in 18 weeks with no scheduled runs (well, except the one I scheduled with a friend, for fun) and I was excited about the idea of being able to sleep in this Saturday morning.

Naturally, I woke up on my own at 6:30am.

Interestingly, many marathon runners talk about “Post Marathon Blues”. I found quite a few articles and also quite a few blogs on the topic. When you follow a running plan for 4+ months, and suddenly it isn’t there, it’ s weird. When your life is almost literally scheduled around training and suddenly its gone, it’s weird. Almost empty, like something is missing. Running has an addictive quality to it. Distance running especially, as you can experience the “runners high” more than once during a long run (or none at all during a particularly crappy one, it is a bit of a gamble). Personally, I think signing up for a couple 5k’s in the next few weeks and changing focus to having a family helps, but its totally legit……and I admit I do feel a little…..unorganized. I found myself just a mere few days later, researching half marathons. I was seriously considering the Diva Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach….because any half marathon involving a tiara, roses and a boa would totally rule (yes, I said it would rule), until I realized that not only is it the same weekend as my sisters college graduation, but that I will hopefully be newly pregnant from our IVF, and therefore not going to happen. I’m supposed to be taking a break from long runs. I think I have an addiction.

Hi, my name is Theresa, and I am a run-aholic.

Maybe I can get a rollerbladers high? Or a yogi-high? Or perhaps a bikers-high?

And most importantly, what am I going to blog about on Saturdays?

The phenomenon seems to happen because you spend months planning and following a schedule with an ultimate goal in mind: to finish a marathon, to take a vacation, to buy a house, but get so wrapped up in the planning of the actual event that you forget to plan for afterwards. And for those of you who are balking at the thought of all this planning, it must be a runner thing. Or a Type A personality thing. Take your pick.

Admittedly, I have some mixed emotions. It was a bit sad to reset the 4:10 time on my watch.  There is a definite strange emptiness to not having a planned run 4 days a week at a certain distance or a goal, but I’m looking forward to strapping on my rollerblades periodically instead of my running shoes. Or take a yoga class, join a gym again and dance awkwardly at Zumba, or hop on my lovely pink and purple bike on Saturday morning.

I’ll still be running though. I have a couple small races in mind until we get knee deep in IVF. It’s in my blood. And I’m pretty sure that when I do have a child, he or she is going to come running out of the womb and into my jogging stroller. While I do miss the training a little, I’m looking forward to what’s next.

Plus some rollerblading.

(And no, its not just for the 80’s anymore)

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*For those participating in ICLW with Blogger and Blogspot blogs – I am having issues leaving comments. It simply won’t let me. If you have commented on my blog, most likely I have attempted to comment back without success. Anyone else having this issue??

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