No marathon, no problem

It's hard to believe, but the first quarter of this year is almost over. If you've followed along, you know that it's been an interesting few months. I'm ending it much like it began by taking a little break. Sandwiched in between foot issues, though, have been some exciting times of building my mileage back up and having another half marathon under 1:50.

I feel like with April right around the corner, there are some new beginnings waiting for me. I'll soon be buying a bike to get more serious about cross training and to give my legs a bit of a break from pounding; the weather will hopefully get warm and stay warm so I can get in a normal routine every morning and evening; I'll soon get a new pair of shoes that will hopefully make my feet feel better; and I don't have to think about training for 26.2 miles.

This certainly makes me look forward to being a homeowner again. I'll have some time to do some yard work; I'll be able to open up the windows and get some painting done; I'll be able to take a vacation in June and not care too much if I miss my long run; and maybe I'll sleep in occasionally on Saturday and Sunday (if my dog lets me).

While I am focused on the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in August, I'm looking forward to a much different spring and summer than last year. Yes, I'll still be running a lot and doing races, but I won't have those extremely long runs that just ruin a weekend day. Last year it seemed like whenever I got to about 14 or more miles in the morning, the rest of my day was worthless.

Running has helped me become a more goal-oriented person, but it seems lately so many of my goals have focused around running. I should have a goal to get my dining room painted by the end of April. Maybe I will … as long as that PR in a 5k is somewhere close by. :-)