15 Benefits Of Taking An Unplanned Break From Running

No runner likes to take an unplanned break from running. But thanks to things like injury or an overloaded schedule, sometimes you just have to take a sudden leave of absence from your favorite activity. And while there are obvious downsides to having to abstain from running, there are some secret silver linings, too.

They may not take the sting out of taking a break, but hopefully they’ll cheer you up just a bit until things are back to normal and you’re on the road again.

1. Without the constant threat of runger, your grocery bill will go way down.
2. Since you won’t need a second post-workout shower, you’ll be doing your part for water conservation.
3. That goes double for how much less laundry you’ll have to do.
4. You’ll have absolutely no reason to use a Porta Potty.
5. There’s no need to shave your legs anymore, and yet your legs will never be smoother thanks to your inner thigh chafe finally getting the time to heal.
6. Sleep. Glorious, glorious sleep. Goodbye, 5 a.m. wakeups.
7. You’ll learn how amazing your feet can look after a little time out of your sneakers. If you get a pedicure on top of it, you won’t even recognize them.
8. No running = less thirst = at least ten fewer trips to the bathroom every day.
9. You’ll discover a whole new world of hairstyles exist besides your trusty ponytail.
10. There will be time for Netflix. So much Netflix.
11. If it’s warm weather, you’ll finally get a chance to even out those watch and sports bra tan lines.
12. If it’s cold weather; hello, you don’t have to go out in the cold.
13. If you have a tendency to rely on coffee for a pre-workout boost, it’s a great time to reset your body and try a caffeine-detox (thankfully, you also have the aforementioned extra time for sleep if it doesn’t go so well).
14. You can finally take the time to refresh your workout playlist that you always mean to update but forget about until five minutes before your run.
15. You might get a reprieve from busybodies asking you the usual, “Aren’t you going to ruin your knees?”/ ”How many marathons have you run?”/ ”Did you win your race?” questions whenever they see you in your running gear.