Running lessons: Rest days are training days too

I didn't go running at all this weekend. Not once. And I didn't even have a good excuse. I wasn't sick or anything. I just didn't feel like running yesterday and all I wanted to do today was sleep. So that's what I did. Yesterday, I filled the day reading and doing chores with Husband and today I slept in until 10:00, went out for brunch, did a bit of shopping, and then napped until supper time. Since supper, I've been hunkered down by the fireplace reading and writing a little and - though it's only 10:30 - I'll be ready to sleep again soon.

Naturally, there's a little voice in my head berating me for my sloth, telling me I'll never run another marathon, that one weekend of missed runs signals the end of my running career - which is utterly ridiculous, of course. As any good coach will tell you, your body needs rest days to repair itself and build muscle, and listening to your body is the best way to avoid over-training and injury. Clearly, what my body needed most this weekend was to rest so, in a very real way, I was "training" and I look forward to feeling the benefits of that training the next time I go running.

Though I only ran a few times last week, I made good progress in terms of pursuing my New Year's resolution to create a more creative life. On Wednesday night, I finally bought the new camera I've been wanting and have already spent considerable time getting familiar with it. I've signed up for a photography course that starts next week and, weather permitting, I plan to go for photo walks a couple of times a week to practice what I learn. I did my first walk along the Halifax waterfront at lunchtime on Friday and really enjoyed trying to see familiar landmarks in new ways. In the end, I didn't take any pictures worth sharing but I was pleased with how well the camera performed - even in my inexperienced hands.  Hopefully, I'll have something to share soon.

I also made good progress on creating some new habits. After weeks of rich holiday foods and too much wine, Husband and I opted for lots of healthy (and delicious !) low-fat vegetarian food in the past week and swore off alcohol for the month of January. We fell off the wagon yesterday and had a couple of glasses of red wine with dinner but we've otherwise abstained since New Year's day and I must say I feel better for it.

The one unhappy thing this weekend was that I put my motorcycle away for the season. I continued to ride her occasionally right up until the weekend before Christmas, but we've had lots of snow lately so there didn't seem to be much point leaving her outside any longer. Husband - bless him - built a ramp so I could store her in the basement until spring. It was a bit of an adventure getting her through the narrow doorway but we managed it. Now I just have to clean and polish her so she's ready to go when the weather warms up again.

Before signing off for the night, a quick word about the image at the top of this post. I caught it with my smartphone from the passenger seat of our car yesterday. Husband and I were both struck by the colour of the building against a sky made grey by an oncoming snow squall. I wish I'd had my pretty new Nikon with me to get a better pic but hopefully the one I got gives at least some sense of how remarkable it was.

So, dear readers, how are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?  Are you missing rich holiday foods?  What are you most looking forward to in 2013?