On Fire....

2015 will be over in a few weeks. Ok, maybe more than "a few" but it's less than 50 days so not much more. I've been blown away by all the things that happened this year. Some amazing, others devastating. Both the bitter and the sweet have permeated all aspects of my life (home, work, running), and have made me feel a bit cautious of what 2016 will bring. Cautious, but not afraid...

Being fearless...

Having completed one marathon already I know that I'm capable of 26.2 miles (27.2 if you count the extra distance I ran in Chicago). Knowing that the distance is achievable is good since I have at least 12 more to go. And when I see my modest medal rack and I think about what I've done in the past 2.5 years (since I started running) I'm not fearful of what the next 2.5 years (or more) will look like. Mainly because I know how difficult my running journey has been. I've dealt with the pain of injury and the disappointment of race deferrals and the loss of non-refundable race entry fees. And to go through that and still want to run means I'm either crazy or fearless (or maybe a bit of both).

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In the pursuit...

At first I said "No full marathons in 2016". Then that changed to "Ok maybe a Spring full marathon but no more long runs over the Summer". And then that changed to "Ok I'm registered for two full marathons in the Spring (you know, just in case I don't regain any degree of sanity) and a Ragnar relay in June AND I entered the lottery for the NY marathon in November  (aka Summer LRs)". But in the pursuit of all that I'm adjusting (or plan to adjust) how I'm going to train and cross train. Because frankly, if I can get through a training cycle without falling or needing physical therapy I will consider that a great accomplishment.

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Of what sets my soul on fire... 

I thought about this a lot today. Mainly out of frustration and a "this can't be what the rest of my life looks like" mood (it was just one of those days). But also because in order to set the goal I want to pursue I have to figure out what's driving that goal. What makes me happy...exhilarated...passionate? Not just what fills my soul, but what lights the spark that engulfs it...consumes it? Putting personal and work life aside (cause that's beyond the scope of this post and this blog), knowing what 2016 is going to look like, I spent some time thinking about WHY I wanted to run all these races and compete participate in all these events.

People have asked me this before. Friends, colleagues, random strangers have asked the "why do you run?" question. And not from a "let me find out why you like this form of exercise" perspective. Instead they ask from a "Why do YOU, LeAnne, the very uncoordinated runner who trips over imaginary things on the floor when walking, who has stumbled or fallen more times than is logical, who deals with painful blisters and frequent toenail loss, who has chronic injury pain, who has spent more money on medical co-payments/running gear/race entry fees/travel for races in the past 2.5 years than most people think is logical" perspective. My answer is simple: Running makes me better, it sets my soul on fire.

(I agree with Fred...except for the not enjoying eating thing)

2016 is around the corner and the first two months will host the full marathons that I'm registered for. I'm back on the "maybe I should still do the Miami full" train of thought but registered for the Ft. Lauderdale A1A full just in case training for Miami doesn't work out as well as I would like. 

Best case scenario: I run both full marathons

Worst case scenario: I don't run in either event (let's pretend that's not even an option)

Goldilocks case scenario: I run both as half-marathons

In my pursuit of all things "best case" my training is ramping up for my upcoming full marathon(s); so I ran 5 miles today...

It rained for about 3 out of the 5 miles...

I was drenched but the air was cool so the rain felt refreshing.

Tomorrow is a cross training day but I may switch that do some of my old physical therapy exercises that focus on improving core and hip strength. That will be the key to staying out of the doctor's office this training cycle ;)

What were your running goals for 2015? (don't worry you still have time to get a few done)

Name one thing you did this year that you thought was going to be impossible?

What goals are you going to pursue next year?