Yesterday was an unexpected day off from running. I am somewhat annoyed about it because it was another nice day, and because I want to run outside any time I can, and I cannot during the week. I woke up with a sore back and hips. My back is fine, it’s just kind of stiff, it’s definitely plain old muscular soreness and not something worse. My hips are just a little worn out, I think, but I’m concerned they feel like the Tin Man’s before Dorothy found the oil can, and I decided a break would be a good idea, even though I just had a rest day on Friday.

I felt a bit guilty about sitting on my couch watching Gilmore Girls during the time I planned for running, but after creaking around the rest of the day at a UMD hockey game and running errands, it turned out to be a good idea. This was confirmed once I started feeling chilled and overall achy in the evening. Since I sometimes write posts in the evening and schedule them for the next day (a shocking revelation, I know!), I could have come down with a full-blown case of influenza by the time you get around to reading this. Or, I’ve successfully given my body the extra bit of rest it needed to fight off whatever crap was trying to take over. With school starting this week, I’m not taking any chances.

With my level of fitness, spotty track record with commitment to running, and overall bent toward laziness, rest days worry me. Since I don’t plan them, instead choosing them based on either my schedule for the day, how I feel on a particular day, or how long it’s been since my last rest day, one rest day can very easily turn into two… or three… weeks. Or more. I hope my two-pronged formula for success this way around will work. This plan is, obviously, 1. Run at an aerobic pace so I’m not killing myself with every run and 2. Write about running publicly (while not doing anything to actively promote this writing), so that I’m forced to keep going in order to have something to write about.

I really hope I am not sick. It would not be the best way to begin spring semester.