It's ok to not be ok

 This weekend would have been the Detroit Free Press Marathon races but, thanks to COVID, it went virtual. I'm actually not participating in any of the activities, however, I still hold this race near and dear to my heart. It was my first marathon. Detroit is the best city in the world. Michigan is my home and damn, I wish I was there right now running in the beautiful fall weather.

I literally just got off of Twitch with this live panel that included the amazing (and my personal favorite), Des Linden. She even gave a shout out to Rochester, my hometown. Let me tell you, I think Michiganders have thick blood especially if you train outside through the winter. I actually miss running in the snow. This would have been my cousin's first year running the Freep and I'm bummed it won't be on the actual course. I may be biased but this race doesn't compare to anything else out there. How many races do you run into another country and back, going through an underwater mile? I hope to make my return next fall. 

Alright guys, so it's been a week. It's actually been a few weeks. What I mean by that is I went through a rut that ran pretty freckin' deep. I took my first mental day off of running in probably......ever. You know what? It's okay to not be okay. Last week's speed workout kicked my ass. I felt like hot garbage for the rest of the day. The rest of the week just felt like I was throwing myself at the ground like a limp fish. My fatigue level was 100 and my motivation level was -100. I adjusted my long run to just be an easy, slow run. I'm extremely thankful for my always understanding coach. She lent me some great words of wisdom. Going into the beginning of this week, I still wasn't feeling right, both mentally and physically. Monday passed and I woke up Tuesday saying to myself, "No. This isn't happening today.". As runners, we toot our horns saying we work through the pain and suffering of whatever it may be and we fight our mental ability to want to quit. When it's something completely different, it's ok to take a day off. Take care of yourself. Your body will always be the one to tell you whether it's ready or not. So I did just that. I didn't even bother going out. I didn't bother getting dressed. I mean, my running clothes. I put real clothes on. I didn't do any warmup or stretches. I didn't even work. I took care of myself. I did a long meditation. I put on some yoga for anxiety. I ate a heck of a lot of Oreos. I also treated myself to something on Prime Day. 

I hate how excited I got about buying a salad spinner but I guess when you hit your 30s and love cooking, kitchen stuff is literally just as amazing as buying a new car or something. I also finally got some Stasher bags!

I've been wanting some for a long time. They aren't cheap, though, but they pay off in the long run both with less waste and not having to buy more plastic bags in the future. Plus, I actually saved $15 on them with Prime Day. Winner, winner! I'm slowly but surely ditching plastic or products we just throw away after one use. My running coach sent me a bunch of extra silicone muffin baking cups a few weeks ago and they work amazing! I whipped up some vegan banana muffins. They lasted a whole two days. 

Can't you tell I didn't have enough walnuts?

No clue why I didn't get these sooner. They don't stick and they are actually really easy to clean as well. Another way I'm ditching throw aways is making my own running fuel. So I've been on the fence about honey as a vegan. I've talked about it before but I was a Honey Stinger ambassador and loved their products. It was pretty much the only non-vegan thing I was consuming. Well, we finished our stash of that stuff and I finally said "I'm done". I'm going back to my roots of a fuel I used at the beginning of the year: Endurance Tap. Here's the thing, though. They're kind of pricey. For 6 pouches, it's about $16. For someone who's ballin' on a budget, that adds up quick, especially during distance training. But I wondered, can I make it myself? It's three ingredients: maple syrup, salt, and ginger. The ginger is especially my favorite because it's great for keeping your stomach in check as well as your GI system. But what would I put it in? I searched "reusable food pouches" and came across some I couldn't say no to. 

Come on, how cute is it, though? It's a whole set of animals. It was $12 for 6 pouches. They're 3.5oz, if I remember correctly. I measured out 2oz of maple syrup, added in the salt and used powdered ginger. It literally taste the exact same as Endurance Tap. But how would it do on the road? It worked great! These pouches basically work the same as what Endurance Tap uses, with resealable lids and all. I may look a little funny taking fuel from something a baby probably eats food out of but hey, if you aren't having fun then is it really worth it? They're easy to clean and again, better for the environment. I'm all about saving money these days and each of these little changes helps.

I forgot what week of training I'm on but I can assure you I'm in a much better place after taking care of myself. Remember, it's ok to take a day off. A week off. Heck, if you need a month, take a month. Use a resource like Headspace to start some meditating. That's been a game changer for me since May. I told myself I need to start journaling again. Whatever your niche may be, roll with it! Happy training.