I was not made to swim.

How do I spend my downtime?

Well it isn’t as easy going as you thought it would be.

Typically after doing a long build-up period, the lay off that is to follow is somewhat of a gift – a light at the end of the tunnel that is marathon training.  That said, with the total disaster that was Chicago ’10, I honestly couldn’t enjoy my time off.  Feeling like I didn’t accomplish anything whatsoever did not sit well with me, and rewarding that with time off?  Unthinkable.

Bombing a marathon is like taking a girl out to a nice seafood dinner and never getting a call back.  You put all this time and effort into this one event, and when it goes bad (I mean reaaal bad), the first instinct is to get back out there and try it all over again.  In running, dating and in life, this usually is not the best reaction. (This is obviously in jest, as for anyone that knows me, knows that I am a complete imbecile when it comes to women and dating, and that I am lucky enough to have fallen ass backwards into a relationship.)

That said, I am completely aware that rest is equally as important as the training itself.  This meant, deservingly or undeservingly, time off was completely necessary.

While not running everyday was somewhat of a drag, getting me out of my routine, it was nice not having to worry about getting up and out the door by 6:15AM in the dark to to plug away the miles.  I didn’t need to concern myself with getting to bed early.  I was able to watch playoff baseball games in full.

As you could imagine, wild times.

I actually visited the Neptune Aquatic Center over the weekend with Malia, Brian Shea, and Brian’s kids.  I would say that I went for a swim, but we all know that would be a lie.  It was more like I was flailing around in the pool for an hour while trying to keep my head about water – a sight for sore eyes.

Anyway, I’m back after the brief hiatus and back up and running.  There is an interesting dynamic to coming back from an extending lay off.  Typically I’m excited to be running and focusing on the next goal, but the actual runs just flat out suck, and the only way they will suck less is by running more.

See what I am saying?

In terms of future plans, I have still yet to nail down what race will be the focus for the upcoming build-up.  Marathon?  1/2? 10k/5k? 200m?! In the meantime, I’m just going to take the next two weeks or so to get my legs underneath me and back into the routine.

- Craig