The other side of ultra-running

It's the post-season.  My race calendar is wrapped up, the days are getting shorter and colder, my bank account is almost empty, my entire being is exhausted, and I just don't feel like running anymore.  I have gone from 25+ hours of training a week to......well......close to nothing.  October and November are always tough months for me.

My friend, Alan, calls it "ultra-itis". but I think Chelsea described it better - "postpartum running syndrome". Symptoms include sleeping-in, aversion to trail shoes, excuses not to exercise, and a tendency to stay in town rather than drive to the mountains.  I have also resorted to reading the classics and going to the symphony.  Heck, I even went back to work......sort of.  Mostly I stare at my computer for hours on end and just think about my PhD.  

Post-season is a good time to remember that I am other things than an ultra-marathon runner.  And be OK with it.  Or to experiment with new things.  Diversify.   I've taken up spinning, which is a humbling endeavor as I struggle not to vomit during the 45-minute class.  I have also gone back to swimming, and yoga, and baking, and attending to all those home-owner responsibilities that get completely ignored during the summer of mountain running obsession.

People keep asking me about 2013 and my next crazy goal.  I've got a few things brewing, and they are not adventures that you can check off a typical 100-miler list.  Get my pilots license is one of them, but that has nothing to do with running.  I'm desperate for another solo fast-pack.  I also want to explore the Yukon.  And go back to Tor Des Geants.  And be the first woman to ever finish the Barkley Marathons (OK, that's a completely ridiculous dream but someone has to do it and I am quite comfortable with the ridiculous). And, and, and......

In the meantime, I am just trying to survive in that no-mans land between the best summer ever and the awesome ski season to come.