I am a firm believer in the philosophy to listen to your body, and mine right now is telling me to chill. It has been nearly one month since IMLP and I have enjoyed a few fun bike rides, and quick runs, even a fun day swimming in the pacific ocean trying to enjoy my fitness and not completely lose it, however, this morning it felt like I was careening toward a wall in a runaway truck with the brakes cut; I need to stop, but the only way I’ll allow it is to close my eyes and slam against the wall. It doesn’t feel good, but it feels right. I need to stop, relax, and take it all in before I can start moving forward again, and you know what? That’s okay.

On a related note, I am so proud of my sister Sarah for not only finishing her first 50K ultra-marathon a couple of weeks ago, but doing so in commanding fashion, she finished first in her age group, and third overall female. Wow. I was amazed, but not surprised to hear how well she performed, Sarah is a natural, but I was still proud, and excited for what lies in store for her running future.

That said, a couple of days ago we chatted and she said she is still sore, (she took a digger around mile fourteen, totally normal for a trail run), and she has not been able to run longer than four miles. I told her that feeling was normal, because she put her body through a lot on race day, and now is the time to allow her body and mind to heal. Henceforth, no runs longer than four miles for at least the next few weeks. As I was saying those words, I realized I needed to practice what I preached and accept my exhaustion as well, and let myself relax, heal, and repair.

The funny part, at least I think it is funny, is that as soon as I landed in LA after my trip to New York for the Ironman, I had been going a hundred miles per hour at work, pulling long days and even my first seven day week in years, ah, show business. Meanwhile, I managed to pull off my work outs and stay upright throughout the day, a self-congratulatory feat indeed, but this week I cracked.

However, if I am truly transparent, I should mention that I did sneak in a hilariously fun and entertaining Bachelorette weekend in Austin, TX, too, which may have been what tipped me over the edge. Fortunately, or pathetically, we are all older ladies and gentlemen now, so a fun night out entailed a fancy dinner and a night cap at Austin’s oldest hotel, The Driskill, verses a late night drunken romp on an electronic infused dance floor. Therefore, there were no murky morning memories of what took place the night before, like the good old college days of our youth, just quality conversations over coffee, followed by satisfying, humid soaked runs. Ah, Texas! Consequently, the travel and late nights were both the cherry on top of my action-packed summer, and the needle that popped my balloon, because this girl is straight up tired.

The beautiful Bride-To-Be, Sarah Gonzalez.

Moreover, even though there are a few races I have lined up for the fall, and one MAMA sized one next summer that needs a proper red-carpet roll out introduction that I will save for its own post at a later date, today, and for the remaining days in August, I am going to follow my body’s lead and chill.