Mini-Goals & Surprise Race

Last week, I felt like I finally hit the next "step" of recovery. From December 2017 (when I started running again) to June, I really just enjoyed running again, without any guidelines or expectations. Since June, I've mentally been in a weird kind of in-between phase, where I'm enjoying the freedom of running however and whenever I want, but also wanting to see progress. I've been in this stage since around June, but I think I'm finally moving on.

Over the last two weeks, I've set a couple modest goals. For one thing, I finally upped my minimum run distance to 4 miles. Four miles is my happy distance, but it's been too easy to cut runs short when it's super hot and humid out. I'm not giving myself that out anymore. When I plan to go for a run, I plan for four and I do four. This has given me a little bit of structure and increased my weekly mileage.

Can you guess which week was the first week back at school?

The other mini-goal I've set in the last two weeks is to run Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. So far, I've been able to stick to that, and I've even been able to motivate myself to go when the weather is gross and Elizabeth isn't joining me.

My next step is to finally start adding weekend runs. I've been so exhausted from going back to work that the last thing I want to do on weekends is break a sweat.

So, on that note, it looks like I'm running a race on Saturday. I'm not really prepared for it, but I plan to run it for fun and to kickstart a desire to train for something...or at least add that elusive weekend run to my plans.

It feels nice to have a little more structure and to be out of limbo, and to be getting there naturally. I was afraid I'd have to force it, but it seems like, as usual, the recovery process has its own timeline. I am starting to feel back to my old self, and that gives me hope for the future of running, racing, and the longterm running goals I kept my sights on to give me hope last year during my diagnosis and surgeries.

Because honestly? For awhile, I was a little afraid those goals would be dust in the wind, but now I'm seeing that there will come a time when I finally feel ready to go for them. I just have to keep being patient and keep trusting the process.

ABK