Winter blues & bruises

Winter Route

So Wednesday marked the start of my running season and just like everything else in my life, I am currently not excited about it. It's still winter outside, still cold, still snow on the ground. So it makes running at the Saratoga State Park so boring. It's reminiscent of last year, starting out in March, running up to the clubhouse, back past the theater, and then usually up the avenue of the pines. (I was able to do the path past the hotel)

I've been running the entire time with each run on the treadmill and I tried it outside the other day. It sucked balls. My left shin tightened up instantly where it always does. It's the sheath around the muscle, it's also me starting out too fast. I know it's OK to go back to run/walk. I know I could do 4/1 with no problem. I just have to get out the little gym boss timer again and make sure to have AAA batteries.

The run the other day and the stiffness in the left shin afterwards makes me wonder about my orthopedic inserts. I've got new shoes that I can swap into as well, but my current shoes don't have enough miles on them for me to need to swap them out. I also keep thinking about getting "the stick" but then I remember I can't even force myself to foam roller when I really should.

I think it's also I'm fighting the fact that before I never thought I could and well now I know I can, so what's my motivation (besides that whole be healthy thing and take death off the line) Also, because I don't know where I fit in. I still feel like I hold my running friends back because of my pace and I'm too fast for friends who are just starting to run. I don't fit in with many running groups because of my health, pace, walk/run issues. It's why I had trouble with USAFit and why I hardly find myself participating with Albany Running Exchange. When you are slow and you hear these other people say yeah we're slow too, like 13 min paces and the fastest you've ever run for like one mile is 13:30, let alone try to keep that up for multiple miles. Well you just start to feel like you don't fit in.

So this season, it's back to individual training and catching a few group runs once my schedule lightens up. I know I'll feel a bit more pressure to be into running & training once registration opens for the Palio Half Marathon. I have the Rabbit Ramble 4 mile coming up at the end of the month and I'm estimating 54 minutes but I'll be happy to just complete it. I'm hoping it will remind me of what it feels like and remind me why I run.

In going back and looking at all my posts in March for 2011 & 2012, it all starts off this way. Me being wishy washy, figuring out my goals as I go along. I even posted the same winter map route back in 2011. So  Hello March and Hello Half Marathon Training. Let's try and be friends and I'll try to put my winter blues and bruises away OK?