Coming back to reality after an amazing four days in Vancouver has been a little rough. I got a little too used to having a delicious latte made for me every day.

SeaWheeze race recap (spoiler alert, I made it to the finish line) and way too many pictures of gorgeous Vancouver coming soon.

Am I the only one who enjoys tapering? After stressing for weeks (let’s be real, months) about getting my milage high enough for my upcoming race (only three more days!!!), being able to cut back my milage and put my feet up feels like a luxury.

I have fully embraced tapering. Only six miles for a long run? Absolutely! Lazy girl’s version of CrossFit once instead of three-four times? Three, two, one, GO eat cookies instead. Skip this week’s intense power yoga? A little sad, but okay.

My feet are up and I’m dreaming about gorgeous miles along Vancouver’s coast and how great those waffles are going to taste at the finish line. I’ve kicked my expectations to the curb. This race is all about the experience and the excitement of my first destination race. I’m ready.

I’m not going to lie, I know it’s important to warm-up. With that said, it’s not something I really do for running. With CrossFit the trainers lead us through an extensive warm-up that focuses on the key muscles we will be using that day – it’s fantastic. But when left to my own devices, I’m lackluster and lazy in my attempts.

When I was first injured my doctor gave me a convincing (and slightly shame inducing) lecture about how important it is to prepare your legs to run, especially since I midfoot strike and put a lot of tension on my lower legs. He also went on to crush my spirits by telling me that if I had been properly warming up my calves before running I may have avoided being in his office altogether.

I would love to say that since I’ve returned to running I’ve been diligent about this, but despite the lecture (and my months of PT), no one ever told me exactly how to do it. Then last week I was asked to try out a lesson (Dynamic Warm-up For Runners) for work and blog about it, and I jumped at the opportunity. (Check out the exercises and my original post here.)

While I felt like a complete goober doing these exercises (and I will probably do them indoors in the future), it made me feel a bit better about my pre-run routine. It also inspired me to dig into some more warm-up exercises that target some of my most abused (and prone to tendonitis) muscle groups.

The other day at work I was getting really jazzed about a blog post I was writing (you know, that overwhelming excitement where you want everyone to know what you are working on and how awesome it’s going to be) when it hit me – I am doing what I’ve always wanted for a living. My full time job is to write.

To be fair, it took me three months to come to this realization for a few reasons. The first is that when I was in college I imagined myself working for a publication as a bona fide journalist or as an environmental writer. After a year in the magazine industry following college, I was offered an amazing opportunity to branch out and work for a startup. Even after I accepted the position in the marketing department as a “fellow,” I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into (and they didn’t really know what they were getting either).

A couple months later and I run the editorial calendar (I love those words too much. It makes me happy just to write them. Writing and organization are my true loves.) and copywriting day in and day out. I’ve gotten to work on video scripts, have a say on logo designs for user goodies like tote bags, and so much more than I ever imaged.

When I first took the job I was worried I would have to set aside my creativity and work for The Man (even if The Man is a small startup working towards something I believe in, education). Just the word “marketing” alone was enough to keep me up at night. But I’ve grown to love learning new voices and explore a whole different set of readers’ tastes and interests.

Even if this job is not what I set out to do, it’s fulfilling my urge to put words on paper and get people talking, and that’s saying something.

I spent the weekend doing my longest run since my last half marathon in Oct. 2013 and planning what I want to see and do in Vancouver. Only 19 days until the race! I’m already so excited I’m having trouble sleeping.

Today I watched the videos of the course and for the first time in nearly four months, I can see myself crossing the finish line. This is happening. I’m running this race and I’m going to finish. This has been quite the comeback.

There are workouts you crush and workouts that crush you. I was crushed. Severely.

This one broke me mentally and physically. I was sore for days and days, which is why I felt the need to share my pain. Looking for something to challenge you? Here it is:

WOD

75 wall balls (20 lbs for men, 14 for women, thrown to 10 ft. or above)
1600 meter run (1 Mile)
50 Wall Balls
500 meter run
25 wall balls
250 meter run

 Your legs will not thank you.

Coming back to running after being forced to take a long hiatus hasn’t been easy. The reality of my current fitness and what my legs/tendons can tolerate has been hard to swallow. My injury has completely changed the way I approach running right now. Before I was aiming for negative splits on every run and would race the clock no matter what distance or speed I was supposed to be aiming for.

Now I repeat “Slow it down” and “I’m okay” over and over again over my runs. I’m constantly finding myself trying to push the pace or panicking about not being 100 percent yet. While I want to fly, for now I need to remember to “slow it down” so “I’m okay” on race day.

My family and I took a long weekend in Yountville, CA to enjoy some warmer weather. We had a great time eating incredible food and lounging by the pool. The weather was fantastic. By 9 a.m. it would be nearly 70, and I truly enjoyed the days that crept into the high 90s.

While I enjoyed the entire trip, by far my favorite part was exploring the area on foot.

On Saturday morning my mom and I ran six miles around Yountville through vineyards and along near-empty country roads. It was a blast (for me anyways). I finally felt like my old self. My legs felt pretty good and I was excited to run, even if it was a little warmer than I’m used to.

It was stunning to run next to old vines and to be so in touch with a place that is so different from my daily life.

While I came back from the run quite sweaty, an iced coffee and an “ice bath” in the pool was amazing. If only every run ended so well.

Too bad later that night my tendonitis felt the need to remind me who is really the boss (news flash, it sure isn’t me). In the face of my biggest flare-up in months, I iced religiously, took anti-inflammatories, limited my walking, and wore my running shoes for better support everywhere. It was thankfully warm enough out that for once I really didn’t mind icing. It was actually kind of a nice addition to lounging by the pool.

After my flare-up I was paranoid and upset. With less than 5 weeks until SeaWheeze, I couldn’t afford a major setback. Especially not when I’m no longer seeing a physical therapist. Thankfully it only lasted a few days and I was back to “normal” (or as close as I have been in the past three months) by Wednesday.