I am SOO excited to become a runner again

If time off has done one thing for me, it has totally revved me up for the next training cycle.

I’ve realized how much I truly love running. For me, it’s the one time of the day that I’m zoned out, concentrating on nothing but my breathing or the country music on my iPod :). It’s a feeling of accomplishment, of purpose. The feeling that you’re fit.

Beyond that, I realized how much I love to compete. I want to be back, firing on all cylinders, feeling sweaty and exhausted after a track workout, mapping out a training plan for the next goal race, etc — SO bad! I’ve always sort of wondered if it was silly to think that I could even get close to the trials qualifier. Can someone like me really be talented enough? But, even if it is silly, I realize now that I love chasing that “silly” goal. Whether I get there or not, I will have thoroughly enjoyed the process.

So even though I’m injured and completely unable to run, in my mind I’ve begun mapping out a plan for a fall marathon. More to come 🙂 In the meantime, I’ve decided that I’m going to really enjoy training on the bike. That’s something that I can do pain free, so why not? Every little bit of fitness I can retain will help me get back to where I was that much quicker. So even though I’m not a huge fan of biking, for now, I’m convincing myself that I love it :).

And… I’ll keep doing the minute-long runs in the evening. Hoping for quick progress!