Here We Go Again

Training for my third half-marathon started on Sunday! The first training run wasn't actually as bad as I had expected. To me it was progress, taking into consideration that I had a sprained knee in November and a sinus infection most of December, which brought any thought of a run to a standstill. So, my official first run of training season was actually only my second run since the injury.

This year I decided to start earlier in January and give myself more time to train and get stronger for May. I have a plan to run at least three times a week combined with stretching, yoga and maybe biking later on when the weather changes. My goal is to hopefully maintain a more consistent pace throughout the race and decrease my time if possible.

Last Sunday was just an easy two miles. I'm not going to lie…I did have to walk and I was slow but I think that had more to do with the terrain than being tired or completely out-of-shape. It wasn't like I was just running down a clean sidewalk or street with the current weather conditions. Please! The city does such a wonderful job clearing the side streets. Ha!

(Pinterest)

I ran the quiet snow covered sidewalks and baseball fields of Morningside and the slushy streets of Highland Park. It was a beautiful, crisp morning interrupted by the occasional church bell from St. Raphael's. The snow only made the run more exciting and hopefully made me a stronger runner. The cold didn’t even bother me because the sun was shining and the air refreshing.

This year, I'm determined to combat my boredom while running by trying different routes and never doing the same one twice. The reservoir at Highland Park got old fast last year. With no music, I have to keep my mind focused on something. If I’m running in Highland Park and Morningside, I do double duty and look for sale houses. OK, I’m dreaming in Highland Park.

I was supposed to run another two miles tonight. I’m so cold that I couldn’t bear to leave the comfort of my portable space heater to go run on the treadmill at the gym. Tomorrow I have no excuses; I will be running at the gym no matter what. Florida and a sunny beach to train on are looking wonderful right about now. I just keep telling myself only a few more weeks of cold and training will get better.

So here’s to another year of being a Runner of Steel!