A year I raced the Cherry Blossum 10 miler, which was shortened to 9.5 miles, for the first time in 1:45 minutes. It was not my best time and was aware of this going into it. No tapering occurred. At the end of September, I did a half marathon in 2:45. It was my slowest time and included lots of walking. Why do I look back to memory lane? Simple - it helps me put things into perspective. 2015 was the year to try new things and experience, first hand, the frustrations and excitement that come with training. While I did not renew my Runner's Connect subscription, I truly learned a lot from them and I follow many of the people I met (Sarah Crouch, Tina Muir, Debra Hexel, Alison Scofield) via Facebook and I am an avid fan of the podcast!
For whatever reason, this year I seem to be in a 2-3 week cycle and, once this latest one is complete, it is time to change it folks! Today, I learned, that I picked up chiggers. Yep-those little bugs that hit 2-3 days afterwards, create lots of sores, and make you want to itch non-stop. For the next few days, antihistamines and I will be on good terms and running might not happen until the itching subsides a fair amount. As I said - this is the beginning of the 3rd week and it means the next 2-3 weeks should go well. I am aiming for a good month - yep, yep!
April is the month of deadlines. It means high stress, long hours, and little time to do anything but survive. In the next few weeks, I hope to get back into running/working out 3-4x time a week. I joined the Oiselle challenge and my goals are to run 13 days in the month of April and also complete 26.2 miles. If I do that, it will be my highest running month so far. 2016 has been a tough one with some bright spots and I am hoping the rest of the year will have more light and fewer shadows.
As for now, I am thrilled to have a health care provider who a)listens to me, b)schedules me in on a few hours notice, and c)helps me find ways to live a "normal" life while coping with the upcoming allergy season. More treadmill and elliptical miles may lie ahead, but podcasts and being happy to run should keep me motivated, eh?!
Late Spring/early Summer planning will depend first and foremost on how the next couple of weeks go in terms of running and work. A late June/early July or late August/early September half marathon seem doable, if I can get back into a regular pattern of running and 6 miles is a doable amount 2-3 times a week.
Happy Monday!
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