On The Shelf
I recently read an article on iRunFar titled, “Fallow Season”, where the author Sabrina Little writes about fallow seasons in agriculture—a period when fields lie unused, allowing the soil to recover and promoting sustainable growth over time. She draws the connection between agriculture and running, explaining that runners benefit from rest to rejuvenate their bodies and minds, reducing the fatigue caused by continuous training, whether that fatigue is conscious or subconscious.
I was forced into my own fallow season 2 weeks ago, after sustaining a left ankle injury during the Uwharrie 100, and if I’m being upfront, it’s been harder than expected to deal with it. Many people have made jokes in the past, asking me what I would ever do if I couldn’t run since my addiction to running is apparently clear to those who know me well. Whenever asked, I have responded by saying that I’m not quite sure, but I’d figure it out whenever that time comes.
Well, that time is here now, and I’m currently figuring it out.
Dealing with an injury that halts you in your tracks and stops you from being able to do things that bring you joy is a lot like dealing with the loss of a relationship or loved one. It forces you into a grieving process, and in my case, the lows felt even lower initially, because the reality of the injury was combined with the natural lows experienced after completing a 100-mile endurance challenge. But, unlike losing a loved one, a minor injury like the one that I am experiencing is temporary, and I know that I’ll return to running soon, with a rejuvenated sense of gratitude and a better application of balance.
I didn’t come to the above conclusion right away though, it took me a few days and a couple of life-prescribed curveballs in the form of my aunt’s multiple brain aneurysms and my grandmother falling and breaking her hip—both happened within days of my injury. It becomes more work to feel sorry for yourself than it is to be grateful for your situation when you’re surrounded by examples of people dealing with things far more difficult and permanent.
But, back to figuring it out, here are a few things that I’m changing or focusing on to embrace my time on the shelf:
Sundays: I schedule almost everything on my calendar, including my runs, writing/reading time, mediations, etc. Scheduling everything on my calendar helps to keep me accountable and consistent. That being stated, I took a step back and looked at when my runs were scheduled for and how much time that took out of my other priorities. Pre-injury, I would usually run 6 days per week. But, now that I can’t run for many weeks in a row, the idea of running 5 days per week instead of 6 post-injury seems a lot more palpable. So, I’ve updated my calendar moving forward to remove my Sunday long run, and instead, replace it with meal-prep and family time. This will allow me to be at home in the morning, waking up next to my wife and playing with my daughter instead of being out logging miles, and will provide me more time to be more intentional with my nutrition. This past Sunday was the first trial of this new schedule for me, and I loved it. I woke up without an alarm, took my time at the grocery store, and spent the better part of the morning in the kitchen with my family cooking healthy meals and getting lunches prepared for the workweek.
Reading: I used to love getting up early, grabbing my coffee, and sitting somewhere quiet in my house to read before the sun came up. This was one of my happy places. But, as my running evolved and I needed to dedicate more hours to miles getting ready for big 100-mile races, I had to make a tradeoff. I decided I wouldn’t read physical books anymore, and instead, I would multitask by choosing only audiobooks that I could accompany my runs with. This was a good tradeoff, at least initially, but truthfully, it’s a different experience altogether. Listening to an audiobook while running ensures that you aren’t paying as close attention to the content as you would if you were sitting quietly actually reading the book. How could you be? So, I without a doubt have been missing some key details to some of the recent books that I have listened to. Also, there’s something meditative to listening to nothing but your footfalls and breathing while running—an experience that is unattainable when you are listening to an audiobook. The other night, my wife and I were going through some books on my bookshelf in my office when I decided to grab all of the books that I hadn’t read yet or planned on rereading one day, and I put them in a stack. The plan is to start reading them in whatever order I’d like to, but more importantly, to just get back to doing what I enjoy more regularly—reading early in the morning before the sun comes up. I’d like to report that I read 2 chapters first thing yesterday morning, and it felt great.
Business: During the buildup to the 2023 Sugg Farm Ultra, my wife and I decided to create an official business to continue directing races and hosting other running events. We registered UltraCulture Running in July and began working on our website, social media, and all the other things that need to be taken care of when you are building a business. It is a lot, and it can be overwhelming—especially when you’re busy with directing a race, training for 100 milers, working a day job, being a parent, homeschooling a child, taking care of a home, etc. Prioritizing your side business can easily become an afterthought once you factor in all the other things that life requires of you. But, if it’s an afterthought, then it will never become what it could be. Lucky for me, I’ve got some extra downtime now, so I can ensure none of the pieces of this business puzzle become an afterthought. I can work on building out all the necessary processes and systems that need to be in place so that we can continue to thrive as efficiently as possible once I’m back to running and I have less time to dedicate to it. And, if something were to happen and I could never run again, I’m glad to be building something here that allows me to give back to and be a part of the community that I love.
