Falling in love again...

I'm falling in love again with running. I have been running pain-free for the past couple of months, and I am so grateful for that. I clearly remember when I broke down crying several times during runs because I was hurting so badly and I was so frustrated that I couldn't do something that I loved. I remember the inconsistency I experienced with the ART and massage - I never knew when I laced up my running shoes whether I was going to hurt or not during a run. I've been getting massages regularly for maintenance, and I think that is helping. Unfortunately, with the wedding expenses, I can't afford to go see Ann regularly right now, so I've been getting a student intern massage twice a month lately instead.

Not only is running pain-free right now, but it's also getting easier again and I am regaining some speed. I'm not necessarily focusing on speedwork right now, just trying to rebuild a good foundation to be in a position to benefit from speedwork when I'm ready to do that again. With the exploration of trail running recently, running has been interesting and enjoyable again too.

With other things going on this evening, I wasn't planning on running. But, I really needed to clear my head from the day and I decided to take advantage of the fact that there was some cloud cover so I hurriedly changed into my running clothes and hit the trail after work. I had a fantastic run and continued to remind myself what it feels like to run comfortably "fast." I was scheduled for a massage this evening, which I was looking forward to. However, my therapist didn't show up for the appointment, so I walked out with a gift certificate for a future session but no massage. Then, I went to the gym to do weights. And, I scheduled a (low-cost) massage somewhere else for later this week.

Tomorrow is our 4th workout (of 5) in the Trail 101 group. We're headed up north to the Bull Creek Greenbelt for Ken's loop. Can't wait.