Junk(ie) miles

Three.
Three weeks of being sidelined by plantar fasciitis.

By now I thought I'd be crawling the walls because I haven't been running. I assumed I'd be bitter without my daily dose of endorphins/endocannabinoids. In fact, I worried I'd be a little like a junkie going through the DTs.

But lack-of-running-anxiety has not set in.
The shakes haven't started.
I'm not homicidal.
At least not yet.

So how have I stayed sane?

I filled my morning "running time" with other productive pursuits: prepping my class materials for the first day of school, submitting a journal article I've been working on for months, baking multi-grain pumpkin muffins, tying down the lawn furniture and then consuming frosty rum drinks.

But I still need my daily workout fix, so I've found other activities: swimming, yoga class, and a slightly modified "Ripped in 30" wherein I sub low-impact cardio for all of the jumping and plyometrics. (If I'm going to hurt my foot more, it will be on the track, not for a DVD, thankyouverymuch.)

So far, this plan seems to be working!

Ok. Ok...
I'll admit it.
I ran 4 miles on Sunday.
And I've taken a couple of long walks, which are supposedly no better than running when it comes to healing from PF. But one run in 20 days is a low I haven't seen in years. That counts as "not running."

Yes, I know I sound like a smoker who substitutes a straw for a cigarette and who chews nicotine gum for a fix... I know I sound like a drinker who says "I haven't had a drink in weeks! Except for one with dinner yesterday. But that doesn't count."

We all have our addictions.

And while the placebos are working for now...
I cannot wait for my next fix.

What is the longest you've gone without running?
How do you avoid withdrawal symptoms when you're sidelined from an activity you love?