Doldrums

With the return of the gray, overcast and drippy weather came a return of my S.A.D. I'm not just down in the doldrums, I'm all over the doldrums. Maybe I just like the word: doldrums. Say it with me: doldrums. Dooooooldrummmmms. Strange word. Defined as "the state of boredom, malaise, apathy or lack of interest; a state of listlessness ennui, or tedium." Doldrums.

It could be a lack of sleep, too much over eating/over drinking during the weekend, realization that my next extended time off isn't for months.

I'll blame it on the weather.

Where did the time go?

For weeks I've had nothing to say, but time to write it up. I'd sit and stare at the screen and try to think of something interesting to relate. Blank. Now I have lots to share and no time in which to share it, so I'm going for the twitterized versions:

1) I finished knitting my very first sock. It's very cute. I'm quite hooked on sock knitting.
2) I ran 12 miles on Saturday. It was a great run, both physically and psychologically.
3) I saw the Billy Joel/Elton John concern in Oakland on Saturday. For old men they really rock out!
4) I started knitting my second pair of socks. Toe up this time.
5) I spent Valentine's Day with my mom. Because every little girl dreams of growing up and spending that very special day with her mother.
6) I'm going to Vegas this weekend!
7) I ran and worked on my day off yesterday. Got a lot done.
8) I made my plans to go to Vermont in May to run the marathon.
9) I registered for the Oakland Marathon Half.
10) I'll elaborate later!

Less than 4 months to go

I figured this past weekend was as good a time as any to get serious about training for my next marathon. I've breezed through many a training season in the past but that was when I was running several marathons each year. A little slacking and I still made it to the finish lines by the cut-off times. Since I only ran one marathon last year and none the year before I thought maybe I should make the effort to improve my running performance. Better late than never, right?

I scheduled a 10 miler for Saturday and got rained out. Yeah, I'm a wimp. I'll run a race in windy cold downpours but I have no intention of resuming training in that weather. So I sucked it up and hopped on my treadmill. With only a couple of short breaks (whoops, forgot my inhaler; whoops, forgot to eat beforehand) I ran for over 2 hours, getting in 9 miles. I moved the elevation from "dead easy" to "at least pretend you're outside" when I remembered that anything over a couple of miles on a level treadmill hurts my knees. When I finished I felt good. Not great, but good. I hadn't run that much for a couple of months and mentally at least I was glad I did it.

Sunday was supposed to be drier so Bree and I ran 5 miles on the Lafayette-Moraga Trail. We were very slow but it was good to be outside in the fresh air - or mostly fresh air. There were 2 spots along the trail where homeowners were burning wood and the smoke threatened to clog my lungs. Luckily the air was still so we ran right past those spots.

Today my legs are fatigued and sore, but in a good way. I have the tingling feeling in my toes that says I ran for a long time. My knees feel great, my back feels fine. I have a long road ahead of me (pun not intentional) but this was a good start. Lo0king forward to calling myself a runner again!