If you regularly check out this space, you will notice I have not been adding as many entries as usual the last couple of weeks. That probably coincides with the end of the Chicago marathon a few weeks ago, and the fact that I've been concentrating a little less on my running since then.
I know I'll have to ramp it up again in a few more weeks to start preparing for Boston, and I'm looking forward to that. In the meantime I'm trying to let my body get a little rest and recovery. The same probably goes for my mind. That's why I'm a little less inspired to make entries in this blog. I enjoy writing about running, and have plenty of ideas about things I plan to write about in the future, but right now, I'm backing off a bit. Preparing for the marathon is such an all-consuming thing, that it's nice to take a break from it when you're done.
I've still been running about four times a week, but not really paying attention to the watch much. And my friends and I have still been running long on the weekends, but nothing more than ten miles, easy. I believe that should maintain my fitness level for a while, and at the same time let me recover. The Turkey Trot I plan to run on Thursday will probably be pretty easy. If it's a great day, I may get inspired to run fast. Otherwise, my attitude right now is to run for fun and relaxation for a while. I suppose that should be the goal all the time, but again, during marathon training you have to focus a little more.
So for our long run this morning, we changed it up a bit and it was great! We have three different courses we generally run: the lakefront path going north, the Prarie path in West Chicago (pictured), and Barrington starting from the high school. Today we decided to stay downtown, but explore a different part of the path on the south side. We started at 31st street and went south to about 79th and back, and it was really nice. The south side offers some of the best lakefront views of downtown, and the scenery all along the route is really nice. It's also less crowded. So we really enjoyed it, and I think realized we can benefit from trying new things occasionally, just to keep it fresh.
I encourage you to try the same thing! Maybe I'll see you at the Turkey Trot in Lincoln Park! Of if you plan to run one of the others, like in Edison Park or Elmhurst, enjoy!
See you on the run.....
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