Life Beyond Running

Sorry I was MIA yesterday.  I was still busy wallowing in "the ugly" phase and as much as I love being honest with you all, I just felt maybe I would spare you a day of wallows and be a little bit more like the "Run for Fun" Stephanie that we have all grown to know and love...at least I hope.

So now that I am feeling a little bit more normal (and since I have approximately 24 hours of feeling normal before I go back on Clomid and feel all types of crazies), I figured best blog it out while I still can.   Lately, as you know, I have had to find a life beyond my normal running outlet.  Yes I am still running a bit here and there (although that is always up for debate - see maybe tomorrow's post if I get inspired), but for the majority of the time I am not running and when I am running I am not doing my usual type of running.  Instead, I am taking it slow, not breaking a sweat, and pretty much stopping to smell the roses type of thing.  In those moments, I am very happy to get out there and just go, but it is still like a major void in my life is missing.  After some wallowing  intense soul searching, I began to think about why this was such a BIG deal.

What have I lost from running beyond, well just running, I wondered?  Running gives me my competitive, Type-A release.  It allows me  to excel at something.  It is my hobby and a hobby I share with a number of great friends and something I like to talk about ALL the time.  It does keep me fit and in shape, which is one of the reasons I do run, but honestly nothing is really going to do that right now.  Finally, it puts a smile on my face when I start the day with moving my body - as I have said many of times it is my caffeine.  Lately without my "usual" running routine, I have felt that I have lost most of these things to my dismay and have been trying desperately to find something to replace running.  This is a pretty tall order because running gives me a lot - I mean A LOT.  Maybe nothing will ever truly replace the running I know and love but I will continue to experiment and try.  This post is a commitment to do just that.  To take this time and try new things - to see who else I can be beyond just a runner.

See I am so happy when I am running!

So what else is there beyond running?  I quickly realized that if I am going to find something beyond running it is not just ONE thing but I need multiple things to replace running - at least for right now.

1)  A hobby - running was my primary hobby.  Swapping running for another type of exercise is fine but it does not seem like that will be my hobby per se.  I need a different hobby.  Something different to challenge myself with, to grow, and to allow my competitive self to come out in full force.  This can be challenging with neck problems that do not allow me to look down for long (e.g., it is hard for me to read a book, play video games, do puzzles) etc.  But I am going to try some things anyway, things I used to love - knitting, tennis, and cooking are first on the list.

 New hobbies means these delicious treats

2)  Exercise - I just feel better when I exercise to start my day. Yes I am redefining what  I mean by exercise but that does not mean I still cannot do it and still cannot excel I just cannot get hot or get my heart rate up.   Thus I have been trying to find something, anything that will fit that definition.  I have thought about joining a gym or signing up for yoga.  The gym seems expensive as does yoga and honestly I have never been a fan of yoga but I am going to try I think.

 Where does this leave me?  Enjoying short slow runs with friends and the husband is on the list for now as well as Jillian.  I am extremely excited to try my new Jillian Michael's DVDs.  I expect to have the fittest pregnant belly out there with 6 week abs.  I was lucky enough to try one of Jillian's DVDs this weekend when Jenny brought me my very own copy and I cannot wait to dig into the other ones that I made Aaron go out and buy yesterday.  While I have only done one of these DVDs, it was challenging!  Also I did not get too hot, but really felt the burn over the next two days. It was no joke!  I also loved how Jillian reminded you of certain techniques.  It was like she was talking to me, she would say don't forget X and don't do this and I would be like "Ooo Jillian, how did you know that is exactly what I was doing."

3) While the exercise areas and hobbies may let me get out the steam of my Type A personality, there is one more place I can put that fire into - this whole amenorrhea thing.  What better place to excel or work hard at?  Tomorrow we start again. Another round of Clomid and I intend to kick but at it.  And so the question remains, to excel does that mean no running at all for this next cycle?  Not sure yet, stay tuned for further thoughts on the issues tomorrow.

 It may be a long journey but I've got this

4)  Wubby - I can't wait for him to come so I can throw my time into being Wubby's mom. The countdown to 3/31 is on!

And the good news is when I get him, there will be lots more pictures than just this one. But he is too cute anyway...not biased, no not me...

What other outlets do you use besides running?  Any good yoga DVD suggestions for me?  Running v. not running for this next cycle?  Jillian Michaels - yay or nay?  Happy Hump Day!