What I've Been Up To Lately...On Taking a Break

Published by Chelsea Reilly on October 14, 2013

After finishing my season at the 5th Avenue Mile and taking a two-week vacation from training, I am happy to report that I feel like a runner again! My first run back was a bit uncomfortable and I felt pretty awkward and out of shape. After some hill repeats on the treadmill my body started to come around nicely and I plan to ramp up my training in full over the next couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to a couple of races this fall, but mostly I'm excited for some great training. I can’t wait to get stronger as I build my base. The end of the track season consisted mainly of interval workouts and rest. I’m ready to put in some serious miles at my Colorado Springs altitude camp in November!

Because I was hurt a lot in college and constantly rehabbing or coming back from an injury, I have not taken a voluntary two-week break from training since high school! And it was glorious! Well… the first week was awesome. By week two I was pretty antsy to get back to my routine.

A few highlights from my time off:

1)   New York for a week: enough said! But seriously, New York is an amazing city to explore and I had a blast meeting up with friends and finding some awesome local coffee shops. I ate some great New York pizza, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and through Central Park. I LOVED SoHo: try Local in the South Village for a bowl of oats and amazing coffee before checking out all of the shops!

2)   Visiting Mickey Davis in Brooklyn: Mickey was on the cross country team with me at Cal and worked the LoCAL — a produce stand on Sproul Plaza in the middle of Berkeley’s campus. She is a now buyer at Greene Grape Provisions and is responsible for the beautiful organic produce section! I had a blast checking out her digs and learning how she brings local fruits and veggies to the residents of her neighborhood.