Winter Running

I am back to a more normalized running schedule finally. Does it ever feel good. It makes such a difference in my day to day outlook and approach to life in general. I don't ever want to have to give this up.

Yesterday was a snow day around here for the kids. We were all home bound. I ran for the first time in my life in the snow. It was wonderful. Out where I live it was quiet and peaceful. I could hear the river, feel the snow flakes stinging against my cheeks as I ran and the quiet was incredible. I loved it. I ran about 3.5 miles. No Ipod, just the quiet of the snow to accompany the sound of my foot fall on the soft snow.

Today we are back to our regular rain.

My toes haven't bothered me yet, which is so encouraging.

Our official Team In Training Kickoff is this Saturday. Our team is very small. A total of 4 marathoners in addition to myself and one of our honored patients that is hoping to do the half in Alaska with us.

I am really looking forward to this training season. I got my fund raising web page all set up and will start actively fund raising this coming week. The Team In Training Logo on this site will take people directly to the donation site.

She runs~!

I ran yesterday. It was a gingerly run and honestly the most mentally challenging run yet. It was only 4 miles, but a tough 4 miles. Today I am sore and my shins are a little achy. The sore shins is a first for me and makes me a little nervous.

I didn't run today, but had a little walk at lunchtime. Tomorrow I will run a little bit again and hopefully my gradual build up will be an easy one.

Tonite is a TNT meeting with 8 potential team members. I am looking forward to it.

It's been like forever....

I haven't been running much, so I haven't been posting on here. I have injured feet/toes and so running has been very sporadic. I rest, then start running and then have to stop again. I have soft tissue damage on the end of my toes and running is aggravating it. The only cure is rest. They feel good right now. I ran once this week. I have been swimming, but it isn't the same. I dont' get the same adrenaline and over all emotional satisfaction from it. I am a strong swimmer and I know that it is a great all over body workout.

I am a bit worried that my feet problems are going to sideline me for the Mayor's Marathon. This marathon is a bigger deal than the first marathon. I am hoping to reconnect with a childhood friend. She is in Anchorage and our friendship ended after a tragic event came to light in her life.

Next week I will try running again and we shall see how it goes.

I am very excited to be a team captain for Team In Training this go around. Our kickoff even is Feb 2. I am really looking forward to the season and the new team. I love that part of training.

Marathon in the future!

I have picked another marathon to train for. I have decided that my life needs that long term highly focused goal. I have my first TNT meeting this coming week. I am going to sign up and train for the Mayor's Midnight Marathon which is in Anchorage Alaska on June 21, 2008. It has been really hard for me to find the motivation to run. I filled out all the paperwork to be a TNT mentor for the summer TNT session.


I flounder without that focus. Last week I only ran twice. I also biked. My toes are bothering me again and one appears infected under the blackened toenail.

Still searching...

Friday after Thanksgiving I got up early and headed to the old training trail. The morning was icy cold, clear, still. The park was pretty empty. It felt fantastic to run the trail in the crisp morning air. I felt like I was visiting an old dear friend. There were a fair number of runners out on the trail. I got about 6.5 miles in. It was really nice to be running on ground instead of the treadmill. I think back on on the miles I was running each week, and it feels like it was all a dream. I am running about 1/3 of that now. I am worried I will lose some of my gained strength and stamina. I am not big on running in the pouring rain, which is what our winters are made of. But I also came to the conclusion on Friday when out, that I really miss and need those outdoor longer runs. They keep me feeling centered and restore the peace in my soul.

Running and Burnout

It has been one month since the marathon. I am a little disappointed in our team. We were supposed to have a victory party locally and it never happened. Now with the rush of the holiday season it seems that it will probably never occur. I would have loved to get together one final time to put closure on this big adventure.

I have been feeling a bit let down, and running has been sporadic. My heart and soul haven't been in it lately. I have been running - making myself run at least 3 times a week, but the joy has been absent. I feel great after, but it is a bit different. I am sure it is burnout.

I have added a little bit of cross training to see if that helps. I have been biking, rowing, and yesterday was so gorgeous I walked outside for a little over an hour.

Friday I am going to see if I can get a decent long run in on the Inter Urban trail while my son has his final drive for driver's ed. That will give me an hour to run outside in the cold sun. I am looking forward to it.

I feel like I am floundering a bit without a huge specific goal in front of me, and with no set training schedule or group to keep me motivated. I have not always been so good at the self motivation thing.

I signed up for our local Jingle Bell Run on Dec. 7. It is a 4 mile quick run. I am hoping that will put the joy back in my steps.

Running Again

I am running again. I feel kind of blah and am experiencing a little bit of procrastination. I ran 3 days this week for a total of 15 miles. I also swam one day and rode a bike the other day. I am not experiencing any muscle fatigue or soreness. I am mentally not feeling the love for running or exercising in general. I am sure it is because I don't have a long term goal to be hyper focused on - like the marathon. I did sign up for the local Jingle Bell Fun Run. I need to have some things to look forward to participating in to keep me going. I don't want to take a bunch of time off. I like how physically fit I am right now, and I don't want to lose any of that.

I am though looking forward to having a weekend at home with absolutely no plans and no commitments. It is the first weeken since May that I am not committed to a long run and/or other obligations getting me up and out the door at 6:30 AM. It is very exciting.