The first setback.

It's been awhile since I've written.  The holiday season has a unique ability to put me in a depressed and lethargic mood.  While I was fairly successful at making sure I ran at least 3-4 times a week, I certainly scaled back my mileage and my effort during the holiday season in exchange for numerous days of party food and adult beverages.  By the time New Years Day rolled around I felt like I'd been run over by a truck and put out with the garbage, a stark change from the energetic, motivated girl three weeks prior.

It's funny how motivation can be so hard to find in a time when all you want to do is be home yet you are stuck in the frigid NY winter.  My friends have done a remarkable job at keeping me sane, but I credit the weird lull in my training to a simple change in routine.  I've read it over and over in magazines and books, but all runners will say that running fits into your life when youre life is something that can be planned, and followed as a routine (for the most part).  Holiday season is too unpredictable at work (long hours, incredibly busy days, no time to eat properly), and in my personal life (no family, lots of holiday parties, new years, everyone's got extra time off, restaurant meals, etc.).  It literally became impossible for me to uphold the same routine that I'd been living for the past three months.  And it caught up with me because my system was damn near incapable of handling the change.

Glad to say I think I have settled back into the routine, I do get to visit home in a few short weeks, which I am looking forward to; and the mad dash that is the Christmas season is over.  Now it's time to settle into the restaurant I'm running, settle into the marathon I'm running, and go back to going to bed early five nights a week.  It's a give and take I guess, I certainly love going out with friends, staying up late, and everything that comes with it- but I think it belongs in life in the same way as anything else that can become an addiction: in moderation. 

As far as the running goes, I bought new running shoes which make a huge world of difference.  The tendonitis in my ankle has all but subsided, and in general my legs and feet feel better while running.  Now I'm just working on getting back into the groove after a few weeks of laziness.  And this may be the first year where I wasnt a complete bum over the holidays, at least I dragged myself to the gym 4 days a week for the past few weeks, but if I am gonna run a marathon in 4 months (yikes)... I will have to do a lot better than that.