Friday Ramble 10/29/21

This week: Offseason transitions, wall sits, and a 95th birthday tribute to one of our favorite subscribers.

A few days after the Vermont 50, I had a vision. 

In my mind’s eye, I was running over hills and valleys under a harvest moon with nothing but ambient light to guide my way. The miles would go by effortlessly, my fitness would endure, and I would channel all of this amazing momentum into one more epic racing adventure before winter. 

It was a nice thought, but my body had other ideas. The recovery period from the race was longer than I had anticipated, which delayed the resumption of training. That left a small window of opportunity if everything went just exactly right. Not surprisingly, it didn’t.  

If it wasn’t clear before last week’s injury shutdown, it’s abundantly obvious now. My 2021 racing season is over, and there are no more events on the calendar. To be completely honest with all of you, I’m not particularly sad about this development. While it would have been wonderful to pick up right where I had left off in training, there’s something to be said for going out on such a positive note. 

Indeed, while my body had the first, and ultimately final, say in this matter, it became equally apparent that my mind wasn’t all that into the idea of racing again either. Instead of being motivated to push my limits and confront challenges, I was more interested in taking my time and having fun. 

While I was processing all of this internal and external feedback, I flashed back to something Dr. Stephen Gonzalez said in our chat a few weeks ago:  “Some people just need a break. If you’re not hungry or wanting it right now, that’s Ok.” 

Cool. One of the ongoing themes of RP is not only listening to what our minds and bodies are telling us, but following through with smart decisions. Even though this was an easy call to make, it’s still nice to be validated. 

However, that does lead to an obvious question: What does taking a break mean?