The race that will not be run

Two years ago I missed the first race I'd ever signed up for. It was the Playmakers Autumn Classic, and my IT band injury kept me from racing if I was to finish the Detroit Marathon a few weeks later. I don't make it a habit of missing races, and I've only missed a couple since then due to injury or Crohn's. This past weekend I missed a race because I just needed a break.

I know I have often said I live my life at 100 percent, and despite my claims that I know my limits let me be honest - I generally don't. I push. And push. And push. The last six weeks have been exceptionally busy for us. Not necessarily because we've been traveling any more, but more emotionally taxing. I've never been the kind of person who brings work home on a regular basis, and it's coming home with me almost every night. I LOVE my job, but until I get into the swing of all of this new challenge, it's going to be a bit of an adjustment.

Two weekends ago we went home to West Virginia. We got back on Sunday evening, and the next week looked a little something like this:
  • Monday morning: leave the house at 7 a.m. for a 3 hour drive to Traverse City, MI to do a presentation. Then drive 45 minutes south to Bellaire, MI for another presentation. Then drive home and get there around 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday: go to work, leave Lansing at 5 to drive to Detroit for a Tigers game. Get home around midnight.
  • Wednesday: work half a day, leave early to spend the afternoon with a friend who lost a loved one earlier this year. We started drinking around 4 p.m. I got home early (allegedly) but I don't remember it.
  • Thursday: wake up hungover. Start the day with a 9 a.m. hearing that did not go as planned. Run around like crazy all day, sneak in a haircut after work, get home, do more work.
  • Friday: go to work, get home and go grocery shopping (zero food in the house). Make appetizers for tailgate at 10 p.m.
  • Saturday: up early, do laundry, head off to tailgate at 10:30 a.m., Michigan State game at 3:30, home by about 7:30.
I was registered to run the 20th annual Playmakers Autumn Classic on Sunday morning, and when my alarm went off at 6:30 on Sunday morning, there was just no way. My body was NOT cooperating. My mind was certainly not cooperating. And I turned off the alarm, slept in until 8:30 and got up to run later in the day after a few cups of coffee and a DVR'd episode of The Soup.

I felt guilty for most of the day for missing the race, but maybe I am starting to know my limits after all. Ask me at the end of this week when I have a 5k on Sunday following my work's week long conference.

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