Where the hell have I been?!

Where the hell have I been?! Has it really been almost an entire month since I’ve posted anything? Geez. If my recent posting reflects my recent running, well, they’re pretty similar, actually. While my weekly mileage hasn’t been zero, it’s been hovering around the 10-12 miles range. Sad, I know! Let’s not talk about it anymore. It makes me feel all lazy and mushy. At least that’s what my body feels like these days.

This past month has been a lot of stress. I mean LOTS of stress. And when I get stressed or sad I don’t feel like running. I feel like curling into a ball, hiding under the covers, and falling asleep. Yeah, I obviously deal with stress pretty well, right?! Long story short, I’m back in Utah. At least until the husband graduates PT school in April (yes, I said April…2011), then it’s off to wherever he gets a job. Anyway, my life hit a bit of a hiccup and due to some unfortunate job circumstances (i.e. there are no jobs in Jacksonville), it’s been decided that I will return to my homeland and pursue a job there right now, instead of waiting until mid-August like originally planned. So, there you have it. And yes, Derrick did get back to Florida from his two-month internship in Las Vegas on April 28th. And it looks like I won’t get to see him until August. If I can land a job fairly quickly then we’ll see about making a trip to FL for the 4th of July or something. Life knows how to throw you a curve ball right when you’re not expecting it. Eff life!

On the bright side, at least I’ll have some running partners now. Even the only person I’ve ever run with in Florida is moving back to her homeland, too. I’ll get to run with Whitney (so excited!!) and my original running partner-in-crime, Amanda. Don’t worry that they’re both pregnant – it just means I get some good recovery runs. Although, Whitney isn’t too far along and she’s still whipping out 9 minute miles like it’s nobody’s business. And as an interesting aside, both of these amazing women are on my Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay team. TWO pregnant girls…our team is so hardcore!
Speaking of the Wasatch Back, IT’S IN FOUR WEEKS!! Holy cow, that crept up on me. I’m really hoping my month of lackluster running hasn’t left me too far behind in training. I’m going to start cranking out those miles again, don’t you worry folks! Procrastination is my highest skill, and I seem to perform better under pressure anyway (don’t take that the wrong way, pervs!). I’m going to try to fit in a few runs with Whitney and Amanda, too. They seem to know their way around the Salt Lake City running trails and I’m going to need some guidance. I may have lived in Utah my entire life, but running was never a part of it, therefore I have no idea where to run. At least it’s a familiar city. And at least I’ll have some canyons to run in to practice those hills! And at least I’ll have some altitude to challenge myself! Wait…did I just say I wanted altitude? Who am I kidding? The altitude has kicked my ass for the first run or two.

Okay. So I have a lot to talk about. I suppose that’s what happens when you don’t blog for a month. As a side note: I promise I’ll try to catch up on all your blogs in the coming days. I feel like such a bad bloggy friend. I haven’t commented (or read) any blogs in at least four weeks, but I promise I haven’t forgotten you, dear readers. Sometimes I think you’re the only reason I keep coming back. If it wasn’t for all of your support and witty humor, I don’t think I’d blog at all. Let’s face it. I don’t think I’d run at all, either! Thank you, Runners of the blogosphere!

A little update on the St. George Marathon. I entered the lottery. And the lottery decided it didn’t want me this year. Bitchy thing to do, Lottery! Thanks a lot! I should give Lottery the benefit of the doubt, but I just don’t have it in me. I was your girl, Lottery, and you rejected me. Bummer. So it looks as though I’ll have to put Plan B into action. Remember Plan B? I do. It means instead of running St. George I’ll be running the Mesquite Marathon about a month later. All in the name of qualifying to be a Marathon Maniac. I’ll have to run Mesquite, then 14 days later run the RnR Las Vegas Marathon. Can I do this?! Is my body able? I question it sometimes, but I’m going to try anyway.

I just watched Spirit of the Marathon the other day. Holy moly, that was inspirational. I wish I would’ve watched this movie before I ran Disney. Seriously, folks. If you haven’t watched this film, stop everything, and watch it now. If you are a member of Netflix you can watch it instantly online. Do it. Go now. It’s amazing. I especially loved the glimpse into the life of the elite runner. I tell you, Deena Kastor is my idol! How does she do it? How do any of them do it?! It really is amazing what the human body is capable of, isn’t it? I can barely finish a half marathon in the time it takes these elites to run a full marathon. Amazing. Effing amazing.

Recently a few old high school friends of mine have contacted me about running. They’re just getting into the sport and want to run a half marathon in September. And they’re asking me for advice. It seems weird that I’m considered an “expert” now. I’ll be the first to attest that I’m no expert runner, but it does feel pretty good knowing that they are willing to come to me for help. It just got me thinking about when I first started running back in 2007. I was clueless. But totally inspired by what others were doing. And I wanted to do it, too, dammit! I remember my first “training plan” and my first 5 mile run, and my first 5K, and my first half marathon. I don’t know if I ever told you all this, but the longest run I’d completed before running the 2008 SLC Half Marathon was 8.5 miles. I was scared shitless the morning of the run. Although I still get nervous before every race, there will never be a “first” for me anymore (unless of course I decide to ever run an Ultra…probably not.). It makes me a bit nostalgic. How cool were those “firsts”?! First 5K, first 10K, first double digit long run, first half marathon, first MARATHON. I’ll never forget those experiences. First time I GU’d, first time I had to make a bee-line for the toilet during a run because I felt like I was about to poop myself, first time I cried during a run, first time hitting the wall. Even the bad “firsts.” They’re still firsts and I’ll always remember those as well. Every one of those firsts made me the runner I am today. And although I get a bit nostalgic for that virgin feeling, it’s awesome to see the progress I’ve made, and it’s awesome to know that I can do it. It feels good to be the “expert.” Or whatever that means…

Anyway, this has been a bit of a ramble of thoughts, I know. I’m a bit scatterbrained right now, I guess. I’ll just blame it on the complete lack of posts this past month. It makes me sad because I’m sure I had an entire bundle of running thoughts going through my mind this past month that would’ve made great posts.

One final thought. As this racing season is just starting to get into full swing, what’s the next race on your schedule? For me, it’s the Wasatch Back and I CAN’T WAIT to run it again.