Stress and no running

Planning a wedding is stressful; planning a wedding in a weekend after pulling out of your original wedding venue 2 months before your wedding is REALLY stressful.

So, how did I deal with my stress? Did I admiringly lace up my trail shoes and hit the trails outside of Greenville, SC? Or, take my legs to the pavement to pound out my worries. No. I watched tv; I slept; I stared at the wall, and Saturday night, I drank wine and laughed.

Background: Saturday morning I woke up excited and ready for a run in western, NC. I packed my mother, my sister, my trail running shoes and my gear, and we headed north. When we arrived, our original wedding venue was clean and breezy (beautiful day in western NC). We sat down on a couch and waited for our anticipated meeting to finalize the details. Instead, we were met with awful news about the hotel's potential demise. We asked numerous questions, listened and eventually went into shock.

We left confused, distraught and without a wedding venue 2 months before the scheduled date. Anger was my first emotion. For my mother it was sadness and confusion. Fortunately, anger can be a powerful tool when you need to find a "game plan." After we found a viable alternative (although not preferred), we found a caterer and we went home to finalize the details that were supposed to be finished by 6pm on Saturday. We had a healthy dinner and then the wine started.

We drank wine and watched wedding videos of couples dancing (i assumed at their first choice of wedding venue) and we laughed. And, laughed, and I eventually fell asleep, exhausted.

Sometimes, a run is perfect; it is the perfect time to labor over details and clear the mind of excess thinking. Sometimes, it is dreaded (maybe I have been running too much...) This weekend, I skipped my beloved routine of a Sunday or Saturday long gaunt around the mountains for a weekend of rest. But - this week I feel better and ready to tie the laces and pound out the everyday anxieties.