It's all good, it's slowly coming back.

Ever find yourself feeling like you've been left behind, choking in the dust, left by the side of the road in the middle of the desert and no one is coming to get you?  That about explains how I've felt for the past few months about my running, sad but true.  While others are finding success in their races, getting faster, attempting track workouts and hill repeats, I can only read about their accomplishments and realize that I've been left behind, all on my own accord.

It's been important for me to take some time off from the scheduled running, and I've enjoyed the stress free days I've had, but now that I'm trying to get back on track, it's incredibly difficult to read blogs, posts, and emails that are filled with running joys and challenges.  With every email from my running group, I see myself falling further behind, missing the marks they're already tackling, and realizing this will keep me from training with them for this fall season.  This will make for a very lonely, long, arduous training season that will require extra focus and commitment.  Am I ready for that?  Do I have what it takes?  I guess I will find out soon enough, but I sure hope so.

Where has my running gone?  Up and down, sometimes literally, it's a hit or miss type of thing, a love-hate relationship for sure.  We took a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains which provided a wonderful opportunity for me to find some time for myself to reflect, to reassess and to figure out where to go from here.  The mountains provided beautiful scenery on every run, breathtaking views, and the added bonus of challenging my body to push a little harder with each uphill climb.

Fall is quickly approaching, it's my favorite time of year for running, especially marathon training. I was able to finally sit down, formulate a 14 week training plan, and register for a few fall races that will keep me both motivate and inspired so I can finally enjoy running again.  The only fall marathon I've signed up for is November 4, City of Oaks marathon.  It's not my favorite race, but it's local and doable.  There will be a few HM races, 5K's, and perhaps even a couple of Tri's (yes, shocker, you heard me right).  I've lost most of the little amount of speed I once had, lost some of the muscle mass I had worked hard for, and am really starting from scratch.....but starting somewhere is better than not starting.  I figure if I at least get in the miles, the cross training, the lifting, then eventually I'll be able to catch up on pace/hill work in time for spring marathons.

It's good to feel back, good to be starting, now if only I can keep going.  One thing I learned last week was that my iron levels had dropped considerably over this summer and that, most likely, has been the biggest culprit for my lack of good training, sluggishness, and feeling winded all the time.  Next week I'm scheduled for another iron infusion and I'm extremely excited to feel "normal" once again. :)