Well folks, its been about two months since my last post, so I thought maybe, just maybe, it might be time for an update. For those of you who need a refresher, when last we left our swashbuckling hero (me), I had just run a mediocre race at the Grand Finale cross-country race, and was slowly making a comeback. Since then, I guess not much has changed. After a brief tease the last day of November, December decided to take a holiday until, well, after the holidays, so the running in December went fairly well. However, it has finally arrived. I can't really call it a super bad winter, but I'm not liking it. Especially because, despite a new ordinance stating the East Lansing residents must scoop their sidewalks, the sidewalks have delightfully remained quite white. Normal traffic then crushes this snow into ice, which is then covered by more snow, making the Michigan walkways a treacherous landscape, booby-trapped with hidden ice and uneven footing. The slipping and the sliding has played its toll on me, giving me a bum groin that brings back memories of my Junior year of college, when I had given myself a sports hernia. Although the pain is definitely not as bad as it was then, it is similarly persistent, giving birth to doubt in the back of my mind... In addition to this, the combination of short days, occasionally late evenings in the lab, and minor (a cold) sickness, running has been anything but consistent.
Alas, with the inconsistencies in my training, it is hard to stay motivated. I'm hanging in there, but I can't wait until the end of January (and, really February), when the sun will finally be putting in full days of work instead of pulling this winter part-time-crap that he is famous for, and the freeze leaves us to the brisk chill of Spring...
No races are planned for the immediate future, although I am signed up for the Martian Meteor 10k in the middle of April, and will likely be running a St. Pat's Day race. Until then, I am hoping to finally get healthy, and begin logging in the miles.
Until next time, blaze on friends!
