February is the cruelest month

I've been a bad blogger. It's been a week since my last post. My apologies. But in my defense I've been busy with the Boy Toy and I had a house guest over the weekend and a mental breakdown on Monday...so all that doesn't leave much time for blogging, let alone running. On Saturday morning I ran 9 miles on the TM at a 10:53 pace which was incredibly dull but the roads were waaaaay to icy to risk breaking my neck. I skipped an easy 4 miler on Monday on account of the mental breakdown (and, as an aside, if you should ever happen to break down sobbing in your boss's office at noon on a grey and depressing Monday morning in the middle of February and she asks "Do you have the flu?" just say yes already and take a few days off.)

Today I did 7 miles, again on the treadmill of doom. But this was a tempo run so I did a warm up mile then 5 miles at a 9:22 pace and a cool down mile. This was pretty good actually. Surprisingly. Seeing as how it was on the treadmill and how I just didn't want to do it and I want it to be Spring and what did I ever do to Ohio to piss it off and crap all over the place? Huh? Anybody else sick of winter?? I think I have cabin fever. Or the winter blues. Or SAD, which by the way, is just a really twisted acronym for the syndrome. I sort of want to strangle the clever genius that came up with that one. Jerks.

Clearly, I'm having a tough time getting my s*** together this week.

You've lost that lovin' feeling

I'm trying to fall in love with running all over again. Ever since I crossed the finish line of the marathon in October, my motivation has been in the toilet. For nearly 2 years, I poured all of my focus and energy into 26.2 measly miles without much thought as to what might come after.

I fear I've lost that spark.

Maybe it's just the winter blah's or I'm still feeling sluggish after my recent illness, but I don't feel as driven as I did a year ago. I don't obsess over the forecast or the course maps, I don't frequent online forums like I once did. Not every thought that goes through my brain is related to the marathon. I even let my Runner's World magazine subscription expire and didn't bother to renew it.

I guess what I'm getting at here it that I'm re-learning how to love this sport without the mystique of the marathon looming somewhere in the distance. I'm re-learning how to love going out for a run for the sake of going out for a run. I'm learning that not every race has to be (or can be) a PR. I'm learning that the marathon is not all there is to running and that running can be a big part of my life, but not all consuming.

So, I head out for an easy 4 in the snow because that's what I do. I'm a runner.

Wellness

Back to the land of the living. I was right, this whole thing took me out a solid two weeks of training. I went out for a run on Saturday morning and only managed 4.5 miles before I had to call it quits. I know I need to ease back into things and I'll get back there eventually but....4.5 miles! Grr. I could tell that all the crap I've been eating has taken its toll and the lack of strength training really messed with my posture and form. Time to get back on the wagon. There's a few 5k's I'd like to sign up for around St Patrick's Day that look pretty fun and might help get me motivated to get out there in the cold. I love running in the cold so much more than the heat but for some reason it's so much harder to get out the door.



The Boy Toy surprised me with flowers and card on V-Day. Normally I am so anti-V Day it's pathetic but we really had a nice time together. I made dinner (spaghetti and meatballs) and we hung out and talked for hours. Here's the problem - I think I kinda like him. Horrifying, I know. But if I like him, then the potential for getting hurt is greater and I'm not really down with that. It's been so long since I've been in a relationship I can't really remember how it's supposed to go. He's smart and funny and really really cute and he makes me laugh and brings me flowers. He's bad with the phone and horrible with money. He loves his family and is great with kids. He would probably lose his head if it wasn't attached...but I like him. This is terrifying.

In sickness

I've been on my death bed for the last week with tonsillitis. Although, I'm pretty sure no one in this modern age has died from the virus, I was pretty sure I was going to be the first. Last Monday and Tuesday I had a fever and on Wednesday I gave myself food poisoning. I spent the day huddled over the toilet pretty sure I was going to spit out a tonsil at any second. Thursday I flew to Florida with my mom where I spent most of the vacation we've been planning for 6 months in the hotel bed watching episodes of My Big Redneck Wedding. At least she got some beach time.

And here I find myself a week later, finally able to swallow without kicking something, although there's still all that nasty white gunk covering the back of my throat. I'm super hot. I figure this whole thing is going to take me out of a solid two weeks of training for my half marathon on April 12th.

At least my foot is better.

Stupid Kate

I had to cut my scheduled 9 mile long run down to 6 due to my stupid bum foot. It's been fine and feeling great for the last two weeks or so but Saturday morning I decided to be an idiot and run on a solid sheet of black ice and slipped and rolled my ankle. Stupidkatestupidkatestupidkate. The pain is in the exact same spot as before so instead of being even stupider and stubborn and finishing the remaining three miles, I cut my losses and went home to RICE. Luckily, I think I avoided doing too much damage and its still early in my training schedule so I don't think it will put me off too much. Stupid kate!

In other, non-running related news, I'm still swooning over my boy-toy (I called him this to my mother and she about had a fit, I think it's hilarious). Friday night he took me out for Thai food, then for coffee, then we wandered around this little booksotre called The Book Loft. The store has tons of tiny little rooms that twist and wind around endlessly, packed to the ceiling with every book imaginable. I love the charachter and the originality of places like this. Really makes places like B&N feel pretty soulless. We meanderend through the little cubbys, dancing around each other and pointing out book after book after book that we loved for what ever reason. I could have stayed there forever. Eventually. though, they had to close and kicked us out onto the street.

We continued the date at my house where he sat transfixed at my massive book collection (it is a little obscene) and said I could give The Book Loft a run for their money. He showed me his one and only tattoo, his first marathon time on his arm. I swooned. We talked for a little while longer then I kicked him out so I could get to bed. He gave me a kiss and drove off into the night. *sigh* Probably, the best date I've ever had...