A New Year

T-minus 115 days until the Fifth Third Riverbank Run!!!

The sickness in our house has subsided, and life is returning back to normal now that the holidays have passed. I only missed a couple of days worth of training over Christmas when I had such a horrible cold, but those few days off really seemed to set me back, if only in spirit.

It has taken the past 2 weeks to get back into the swing of things and regain my confidence of being able to accomplish my goals. Before the snow started to fly I couldn't wait to get all of my new winter running gear out, strap on my Yaktrax and plow through the snow banks! The novelty of that wore off quite quickly. I still would not even consider running indoors though. I need to see that I'm making forward progress when I run, and I like the change of scenery. I do enjoy a nice cold, sunny morning run. Sometimes I look down and notice other Yaktrax marks in the snow which seems to send a boost of energy to my legs because I don't feel like I'm in this alone. I've always run by myself, and I am not sure how my training would change if I had a running partner(s). I really can't wait for the snow to clear just enough to allow a solid path to run on. The worst feeling is when I start "treading slush" and seem to stop moving forward.

Yesterday I went to the chiropractor for the first time in a few months. My hip, ankle and back have all been starting to feel a little discomfort. A combination of not going to the chiropractor for so long, needing new shoes, running on unstable ground, and previous injury have all contributed to this. I'm as confident as ever that I'll be able to complete the Fifth Third Riverbank Run in the time that I want, which as of right now is just under a 10 minute/mile pace. My runs lately have been between 8:45-9:30/miles so I'll see if I want to bump up that goal pace as I go. We'll see!

My wife also talked me into getting a Wii/Wii Fit on Sunday, which has already proven to be an effective cross-training device that works muscles running does not. Sore!

Best of luck to all who are actively training in this weather!!!