[Guest post by L Nguyen]

Merry Christmas! 

The “Holidays” this year seemed to have creeped up faster than usual.  It felt like it was just yesterday we were out running the trails at 6:30pm in daylight on our Thursday ptown runs.  The last few weeks have been a whirlwind – they went by so fast!  Personally, I have been so busy that I haven’t been on track with my current marathon training and missed so many [Harbor] yoga classes I wanted to go to.

I am sure we can all relate.  The holiday shopping, family to entertain, traveling, etc.  It makes everything feel like a big blur.  Not having time (yes, it sounds like another excuse) to run or do yoga definitely has made me feel a bit wonky these last few weeks.  My mind seemed more scatterbrained and there were times I was restless and SO eager for that run or hot yoga.  It’s probably the longest break I have had since the Columbus Marathon.

During my 20 mile run last week, I was reminded by fellow runners that it’s absolutely okay to not have “the best” training season or to not quite be “on schedule.”  Sometimes you just need that quick refresher.  I honestly thought I might not finish that long run (I hadn’t done any short runs the previous several days prior nor eaten a healthy diet) but I finished!  That invigorating run also reminded me to slow down, breathe, and be mindful.  Running and yoga keep me focused in other facets of life.  As crazy as it sounds, I find myself more exhausted when I haven’t had an intense run or sweat session.

I have come to realize that even though I have been a bit “off course,” my focus is relatively the same… to stay as active as I can, even if it’s not crazy level active.  We have probably mentioned this a million times- listen to your body.  When you’re exhausted and feel scatterbrain – your body is just telling you something (i.e. get some sleep/rest ).

Enjoy the simple everyday things.

Don’t worry too much about missing one or multiple workouts.

And definitely let yourself enjoy the holiday season.

Cheers!