My ass needs kicking

I'm in a funk. A serious, deep-rooted funk that's lasted over 3 months now. Or maybe over 4 months. At this point, who the hell knows, right? One thing is for sure, I deeply miss running right now, and I'm struggling to find my motivation to get back out there and just RUN.

Winter in Alaska has been an adjustment. Running in winter Alaska has been an experiment.

First of all, it's dark here. All. The. Time. The only time it gets light is when I'm holed up in an office with a tiny little window with darkening shades, which basically means I never see the sun. I get up and drive to work when it's pitch black, and when I commute home it's pitch black. Darkness = depressing. I've been resorting to tanning just so that I can "pretend" like I'm in the sun. But with all this darkness I'm finding it extremely difficult to get out there and run. Because running in the dark (and cold) requires extra effort. More layers to put in, more gear to fuss with, more excuses to not run.

And the cold. Oh, the cold! If properly layered, it's really not that bad, but when it dips below zero...let's just say that being outside is almost unbearable. And my eyelashes get covered in icicles. Seriously.

Deep breath.....

That was Negative Nancy speaking. I needed to let her rant and rave for a moment, and now the moment's gone. For good.

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions because I usually end up breaking them, but I do feel a renewed sense of...acceptance and motivation. Acceptance, because I need to face the fact that running has been basically non-existent for the past few months and I can't go back and change it. Motivation, because I'm ready to kick my ass and I'm ready to train for some races.

So my plan is to run a race at least once per month during 2011. It's a very reasonable goal, I think. January is null and void because I'm in Alaska and there are no races here in January. Unless, of course, I were to drive 5 hours north to Fairbanks for a 5K, but no 5K is worth a 5-hour drive. So, January doesn't count.

Here's what's on deck for 2011 (and I'm most excited about the events in bold):

February 26th - Frostbite Footrace 5K - Anchorage, AK

March 19th - Shamrock Scramble 5K - Anchorage, AK

April 9th - Spring Break Up Run 10K - Anchorage, AK

May 7th - 20th Annual Salmon run 10K - Anchorage, AK

May 28th - Trent/Waldron Glacier Half Marathon - Anchorage, AK

June 3rd - Skinny Raven Twilight 12K - Anchorage, AK

June 18th - Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon - Anchorage, AK

July 23rd - Dog Jog 5K - Anchorage, AK

August 27th - Lost Lake Run 16-miler - Seward, AK

September 23rd - Ragnar Relay DC - Washington, D.C.

October 8th - Layton Marathon - Layton, UT

November -TBD

December - TBD

I feel like this is a good mix, yeah? A couple of 5Ks, a couple of 10Ks, half-marathons, full marathons, and relays. It's basically like the rainbow of running, right? Lame analogy? Yeah. *shakes head in shame*

As I have more time to contemplate my goals for these races, I'll be back with more info. Right now my only goal is to get out there and start base training. start RUNNING again. I don't care if it's only 2-3 miles a day for a couple of weeks. At least it'll be something. So, friends, keep me motivated. I need the encouragement, and I need the support. 2010 was a difficult year, and I'm ready to start fresh in 2011. Who's with me?!