Coming Back after Hiatus

I've been on required rest for the past three weeks since the Cleveland, OH, race and it's been killing me to want to get outside and RUN! The treatment that I was receiving to try and heal my aching foot hasn't really worked so I've decided that I need to just "get over it" and get out there and hope that eventually the pain will either go away or go numb. Yeah, probably not the smartest way to look at it, but you runner types out there that are die-hards should understand this mentality quite well.


As typical of this time of year in Southern Indiana, it's cold, it's wet and it's rainy. It may seem weird, but I'd rather have snow than rain on the streets in my town. The rain just makes the surfaces so slick! The brick is beautiful downtown, but step on it without good tread and you'll find yourself sliding a few inches and hopefully regaining your balance instead of crashing to the ground. 

I've had a rule against puddles since that first half marathon many years ago- never, never, never step into wetness at all costs. As you can see, the streets hold on to puddles quite well.

Stepping into puddles means wet feet and wet feet mean blisters and frozen toes. Not the best if one is headed out to "enjoy" a run. I always laugh during races when the newbies see the fire hoses offered by well meaning firefighters to spray at the runners on a hot race day. All I can think of is "avoid the water."

So, feet nice and toasty dry and the "come hell or high water" attitude, I've stopped the running hiatus and have started to build the miles again. If you've been reading my other posts, you know that the first big race that I'm gearing up for this year is in Lexington, KY, and is going to be a hilly 1/2 marathon the end of March.

I didn't get as far as I would like this time out-- only about 1 mile running and the rest on a run/walk, but it was good to get out and stretch my legs again. I'm kind of surprised though, my sciatic nerves and hamstrings were screaming at me after I finished. I guess I'm not going to rebound as quickly as I'd like this time.

I thought you might like to see a little of what I see when I'm out training in my town. One of my favorite streets to run down has great Victorian homes and I have to admit-- when I can run at night it's fun to see the interior woodwork from the street.

I always wonder, also, do people notice me out running? Are they inspired to do the same or do they look out and think "Oh my god, it's pouring down rain, what is she? Crazy?"

I may be crazy, but as I read once-- runners actually enjoy being called crazy for running in inclement weather. I think it validates our need to rise above the norm. Of course we know it's crazy to run in a downpour or in sub zero weather but we also know that it means that we did something that very few others will do or would be willing to do.

So, I'm back out on the trail and I'm training for race #1 this year. It's never easy to get back where one was before resting, but I have a feeling that I'm going to push through at all costs to make sure that when the race comes around-- I'm ready. Happy New Year to everyone and look for these shoes to make another appearance very, very soon!

See you out on the trail!