"I have a running problem..."

That is what I told K last night.

I can't stop. That's the problem.

I had been looking forward to the upcoming weekend since it was our first in awhile that didn't revolve around running. It was also designated as an "off" weekend for me in my training schedule for Rocky in February, especially since I haven't had one of those in I can't remember how long.

Just a few short hours after telling K last night just how excited I was about having a running-free weekend, I cautiously approached him saying "I just had a crazy idea...." He knows me well enough to be concerned. He responded that my "crazy ideas" usually wind up with us several hours outside of Austin getting up early to go run somewhere. I assured him that this time it wasn't nearly that far. :)

My initial idea was that we would run the relay at Decker together on Sunday, which he immediately shot down. Well, then fine, I'll run the whole thing myself. So, here we go again...

Oh, and have I mentioned that I'm running the marathon at White Rock next weekend (as a training run for Rocky)?

Yes, I know I have a problem. I even told K that he should hide my running shoes from me (road and trail).

But, no, I don't think that I am overtraining. I take days off appropriately, I really do. And, I also don't necessarily think that I am overracing, although we have certainly run a lot of races over the past few months. I haven't necessarily run all-out intense effort trying to PR at any of them. And, I don't plan to at Decker either (or at White Rock).

I am so grateful that I am able to run again after having a year of inconsistency (and slowness) due to my shin issues. I am vigilant about getting a massage every 2-2 1/2 weeks now, and I don't have any nagging injuries or pains that I am currently dealing with. Perhaps most importantly, I feel invigorated by running again, mostly with the new challenges of pushing my limits to see just how far I can go. I'll get back to working on how fast I can go next year, but for now it's nice to know that the speed is still in there to be drawn out again with the proper training when I'm ready for it. I also enjoy the camraderie with my fellow runners so much, many of whom have become such good friends. So, that is why I will be up early on likely another cold Sunday morning and find myself at the start line with 13.1 miles ahead.