The four weeks a year I get to become fat!

Since I am a full cross country and track runner here at Wartburg College, I get about two weeks after each season where I do not run and I do not exercise. This is the two weeks where it is a chance for runners bodies to recover from the long seasons and the countless miles we run each week. Our bodies have adapted to the hard work and the pounding of the pavement on our legs, but that does not mean we do not need a break.
   Everybody is different, but my body NEEDS the two weeks completely off. If I do not take those two weeks off, I will burn out during the following season or hurt myself. Some people can easily take their two weeks "off" where they still run almost everyday, but instead of running for 80 minutes they will run for 30 mines each day. I simply cannot do this. My body is not made to recover so quickly.
   Without having cross country practice everyday anymore at four o' clock for three hours, I have more time to get into the trainers room to fix the knee issues I have been having and also get some stuff done I usually am not able to do like clean my room and talk on the phone to my mother. I also get the chance to eat almost whatever I want! This is my favorite part actually!
   I am a sucker for sweets, especially chocolate. Anything and everything chocolate is what I like. I also enjoy going out to eat. So for this first week I have definitely been taking advantage of this. I went to Pancheros, where I work back home, but in Waterloo. I usually get a salad or tacos, but instead I got a burrito WITH queso. Queso is fattening, but it is okay to indulge every once in awhile. Saturday, a group of friends and I went to HuHot in Ankeny after the ISU game. I got two platefuls and did not feel guilty. Afterwards, I also enjoyed myself some red velvet homemade ice cream.
   Now I have to admit, I do start to feel guilty after the first week because that is when it starts to sink in that maybe I am gaining a few pounds. Every runner goes through this phase. I tend to look past it though because I need to enjoy myself these two weeks. If I don't, I get depressed throughout my training how I never get to eat the things I love the most.
   The toughest part is getting back on track after the two weeks off. Your legs feel dead and huge. You feel like you have not ran a day in your life and you have to stop eating like a cow all the time! Now many people assume that "oh you run like 8 miles a day, you can eat whatever you want!" Yes we may get to eat more, but not technically anything we want. A runner has a very sensitive stomach and that is why before each race every runner is racing to the porta potties. So if runners ate whatever they want, they might not have as great of workouts or the most enjoyable runs of their life unless they like a different kind of runs if you know what I mean ;)