The Introspective Runner

Don't think I haven't thought about writing...I have. Trust me. Its just that every time I start writing, I lose my train of thought and any post I write turns to mush. I have so much up in my head right now, but none of it has wanted to come out. I think I can sum up the whole situation as being more of an introspective runner these days. I like sharing and hearing other's thoughts. That is part of the reason why I started this whole thing. But lately, it has all been locked right up in my head and I can't explain the shift. Whatever is it though, has been working pretty good. Let me explain.

Being more introspective has its perks. I feel more in tune with my body and mind, like they are in synch. My run mojo is as high as ever. The past month or so of running has gotten more focused. Following my half marathon, I had to take about a month to give myself that downtime. The mental and physical break we all need each year. You simply can't go year to year without having some type of downtime. It just isn't a process one can maintain for a very long time. And we're all planning to be doing this for a long time, right?

So anyways, that downtime happened to coincide with a slight calf issue I was dealing with as a result of my race, which worked out well, because it forced me to physically slow down and focus on the basics of strengthening and becoming more flexible. Since then, the mileage is back up and the calf is much improved. I can feel some tightness occasionally, but I have a much better handle on it now than before. Part of that was due to new shoes that, although they were neutral, didn't seem to be supporting my leg the same as the shoes that I had been wearing previously. So I gave them up and went back to wearing the same model I've been wearing for nearly a year, Brooks Ghost, which I am now on my 4th pair of, but also bought a 5th so I'm not tempted to change shoes again. I'm sticking with what works!

Anyways, I'm hoping to get back here posting, because I think some of the thoughts I wanted to post about are starting to come back. At least it feels that way now.