A Runner Again

A month ago, my running was in the toilet. After adding biking and swimming to my training, I felt completely sapped of energy and enthusiasm every time I headed out for a run. Just 6 weeks after running a marathon, I couldn't even run 5 miles without walking. I was starting to worry that I had lost my running mojo and that maybe my days of counting myself as a runner were numbered.

I'm back, baby. Cooler temps, a change in my training and a little luck have worked their magic. No, my running bucket isn't filled back up yet, but I can see that the momentum has shifted and the level is slowly rising. I still have a long way to go before I am running the miles I would like to be, but the worm has turned.

Having grown up in St. Louis, MO where hot and humid summers are the norm, you would think that I could handle a little heat. If I did at one time have a tolerance to the heat, Minnesota cold winters have frozen it out of me. We had some warm temps a few weeks ago after a cool spring, and I just never got acclimated. We are back to our cool summer and I couldn't be happier. Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles with cloudy skies and temps in the low 60's. Perfect. I ran strong the whole way and kept a reasonable pace.

I hadn't intended on changing up my training, but life intervened. I had been doing two workouts most days of the week. I felt good for all of the workouts except for the running. While on vacation and since we've been back, I've just had time for one workout a day. My pool time has been suffering, but it's leaving more energy for running. Luckily my next two triathlons are short so I'm not worried about not being able to complete the swim. Things will be busy for the next few weeks, so this schedule will be the norm for a little while. Maybe it's for the best right now.

Finally, a little luck! The Twin Cities Marathon on October 4th has a companion race, the TC 10 Mile. This is a very popular race and there is a lottery for entry. A couple years ago I tried to get in but wasn't selected. This year I entered the lottery with Mike and our 14 year old son as a group. Either the whole group would be selected or not selected. This year I was lucky and we got in. Yeah! I'm really excited about our entry and 10 miles is the perfect distance for me right now. It's not an overwhelming prospect with the tri training but it's enough to make sure I continue to build my long runs. A little motivation goes a long way and I couldn't be more excited about having this race on my schedule.

Admitting that I'm feeling better about running is a little scary because I don't want to jinx myself. In general, though, I feel like I'm on an upswing and I can't hide my relief. The forecast for tomorrow is for a cool morning with temps in the low 60's and sunshine. Looks like a great day for a run!