The long road to recovery
It’s been a long time since my last blog post. I guess we have a lot of catching up to do… Back in July we had a couple visitors in town. About 24,000 to be exact. Some brought their families, too, others brought friends, some came alone. Anyway, we had a blast hanging out with everyone, really, but that many visitors can keep a person busy.
We had to show them the city, we shared stories, overall we think everyone had a good visit. And then of course, we had to clean up when the party was all over. So here we are, 2 months later, and it’s a little lonely I have to say. You know that feeling when friends or family come to visit, then everyone takes off? It’s sad! You might sulk around for a few days until life gets back to normal, the house feels empty…
Well, it definitely took me some time to bounce back from Race Weekend. We had some incredible guests, friends, runners, and our families in town for the marathon. So like every year other year, I got teary-eyed as all the banners were rolled up, the tents taken down, and the runners trickled back to their hotels, homes, and disappeared. It’s over.
The worst part is, I don’t think I’m the only person on the staff who get’s a little…blue. So I guess that means one of two things; either we’re masochists that enjoys sleep deprivation and insanely long hours on our feet OR we’re just REALLY obsessed with running.
It took us a LOT of Red Bull to get through Race Weekend
So we spent about 3 weeks “cleaning up the mess”- packing up boxes, sorting, and putting it all away for next year. I hadn’t been running, and I was burnt out. Finally, I realized it was time to snap out of it. Determined to get out of this funk, my roommates and I decided it was time for a little road trip. Plus, after the hours and grueling work I put them through Race Weekend, I figured I could use the brownie points…
We packed up the car with a blanket and some snack and bee-lined for Napa. We made a few stops- the Culinary School, a few wineries, the market for fresh local fruit, and sat out in the sunshine. I tried not to think about running, but of course, I was having flashbacks of The Napa Valley Marathon- one of my favorites… When I ran the race last March, it felt like the easiest run in the world because I was just wandering along looking at the endless rows of grapes, the rolling hills, and just gorgeous scenery. My attitude is that if there’s enough to see on a marathon course, I’ll have no problem making it to the finish line. It took everything in me not to jump out of the car and ask the girls if I was allowed to run home, or at least along the trail for a little while.
Julie dancing in the back of the convertible
Julie and Katie up in Napa!
Anyway, our little day trip helped me get my energy back- first by reminding me that recovery is both physical AND mental. After a race, do something completely unrelated to running to celebrate and take a little bit of time off. Then, like clockwork, you’ll be ready to plan the next adventure. Whatever your drive to run is, you’ll get it back once you’ve taken the time to restore your body AND mind.
Happy running!
