Running Revisted

I have been re-thinking my approach to fitness lately and even though I have loved running in the past, I believe it is time to take a break from it. I have always known that long distance running can have negative health effects but I have brushed that aside because I also got a great deal of mental benefits from running. It has been a good stress reliver and there is something about spacing out and day dreaming while listening to my ipod that is just good for my soul (I say, tongue in cheek). I talked to my trainer about my running several months ago and she warned that if I do a lot of long distance running and aren't vigilent about my diet and getting plenty of rest etc., it can have a negative effect. That was about 2 weeks before the anemia kicked in. The period of time before my marathon and several months after I never felt very healthy. I was exhuasted all of the time, I felt weak, and I kept getting sick. Before my trip to Europe I decided that I would take a break from running since I wouldn't be able to run over there anyway, and pick it back up in August to start training for a fall marathon. Well in the past few months that I haven't been running I have felt a lot better physically. I am not as tired, I have more energy and I feel stronger (plus the dark circles are starting to go away so 5 people a day arent commenting that I look really tired). I know that part of the problem with the anemia was my diet wasn't supplying my body with enough iron, but even with efforts to change that it didnt make a big enough difference. I was also unable to weight train as much because when I did leg work, my legs were tired the next day and I wouldn't run as well. Right now I am doing 45 minutes of weights or exercises that incorporate squats/lunges or the medicine ball and 30-45 minutes cardio on the bike, eliptical, or walking on an incline uphill almost everyday and despite working out more than I did when I was running, I am not experiencing any knee or hip problems that I was before and I have more energy. I also see my strength improving and muscles developing where there used to only be scrawny and I like the way it looks. I also feel I can be less stringent on my diet so although I am still keeping it healthy, I don't have to scrutinize the carbs and the protien like I have had to do in the past (although I still need more protien). The bottom line is I feel and look better now than I did as a runner. I still think I would like to run the Fresno marathon next year, but I may hang it up after that. Besides I can still get my mental breaks from walking around the neighborhood with my ipod and I won't be limping afterwards.