Week one of running again post marathon

I have read tons of blogs/articles/studies about running post marathon and recovery post marathon.  I am a huge believer in compression and have been compressing as much of myself the last week and a half as I can.  I had also read a full week off was advisable.  Lots of the articles i read called it week zero.  My coach had advised me to do some sort of active recovery but for one reason or another, I was too busy last week to get a bike ride in.  Instead I was up on my feet moving stuff from lab to lab tuesday through friday,  I also ended up taking it easy this weekend due to a sick kiddo.  Sometimes maybe just plain on resting is a good thing.

Fast forward to monday, my first run back.  I knew it wouldn't be easy.  I am not sore anymore but still tight in some places.  Let's just say my legs felt like tree trunks and my body was not happy.  It doesn't help that we had gale force winds coming from the south/south west either.  No matter how I planned my short running route, it was going to be in the face of some sort of wind.  You see my body may not be ready to run, and I am going to keep runs easy and under three miles, but my mind NEEDS to run.  I am craving the run and I want to get out and sweat, even if it feels like the first time I ever ran ever.  I am ready to embrace the suck:)  I am also ready to get back to long run weekends.  Even though I was at home with a sick kiddo while my hubby worked, and not able to go out, I craved going out. I seriously think I have a major problem:)

I also am going through a major desire to sign up for another marathon and soonish.  Like not this fall but certainly, I don't think I can wait till next fall to do another one.  While I have my spring planned (wicked half in wamego,  The heartland series in KC, and possibly Hospital hill again or Bill Snyder half,) I just want to train and do another marathon this spring.  I have a little  problem, a good one though.  We are using our vacation time this year to attend my speedy friend Mel G's wedding out in Colorado, and see some of the folks I lived with when I moved to Colorado to work for a year back in 2002/2003.  SO, the marathon I would love to sign up for is the very next weekend (Grandma's marathon in MN).  I don't think our budget could handle back to back weekends of travel.  I can get a plane ticket directly out of Manhattan and round trip for a little over 500 bucks, BUT I would still have to rent a car and get a hotel room and yada yada.  I could drive but it would be a 10.5 hour trip.  Now my mom has already volunteered for this journey but still, budget wise, I am not sure if this is a good idea.  Still thinking, still planning, still scheming:)  There is coincidentally a full marathon in Denver that sunday we are there.  It's very tempting to sign up for, but I am a little worried about altitude and the fact that it is a down hill course, and I am not a fan of down hill runs.  Also, it would extend our little vacation from being gone thursday-sunday to wednesday-monday, so I would have plenty of time to acclimate to the altitude and not to have to travel the day of the marathon.  Decisions, decisions.  Yes, I do have a problem:)