After running 8 of the last 14 days and putting in 5K / 3 miles or more each run in the past two weeks, I'm really starting to snap back into it! I'm feeling a higher level of energy overall and I'm getting to where I'm a happier and more productive person in general. Here's the results of my second week running--22K / 13.3 miles overall. My pace is getting a little bit faster and it's getting easier to run sub 8 minute miles.

Running Results for 9/18 through 9/24/17

I ran more last week when it was cooler and this week it's been very hot and humid again and it's been more difficult as my preferred temp range for running is 8 - 16 degrees C / 45 - 60 degrees F. This coming week I'm gonna hit 30K for the week again. No excuses. There's about 4 more days of hot weather and then Friday it's supposed to cool off so I'm planning a 15K run next weekend and a few shorter runs during the week.

A Bit of Background on how I got to where I am now

A few years ago I used to crank out 50K / ~30 miles or more per week in training runs but the last couple of years I've slacked on my training and the number of races I've run. This year I've been sick more times than I have in the past several years combined which has a lot to do with it but I also have been very stressed out by my job (even moreso than usual). I've kept telling myself "this is gonna be the week that I get back to it for good" and week after week it didn't happen.

Well last week I decided to to make it happen no matter what. No more excuses, I'm just gonna do it. And STICK TO IT. And I'm using one Steemit post per week to help keep me accountable and stick to my plan. My plan the past few weeks was to just get used to running regularly (at least 3 times per week) and then I'd lay out my training plan for the half marathon I plan to run in December once I proved I could stick to running regularly. I'm gonna give it one more week of just normal running (no speed intervals or tempo runs yet) with a longer run on the weekend before I start really hitting it hard.

Ups and Downs; Anxiety and Depression; And Why Running is so Important to me

Since I got so used to the runner's high (those feel-good endorphines that course through my body during and after I run) for so many years, it really took its toll on my psychologically when I stopped running much. I already mentioned I've dealt with anxiety and depression a lot the past year and I'm pretty convinced that starting to run like I used to is going to be a stupidly simple way of fixing this problem! And I'm happy that I'm already seeing results.

The last time I starting training seriously like this was exactly two years ago when I trained for the Las Vegas marathon in 2015. I felt great and I don't know why I ever stopped running so much. A lot of times I need a month or so to recover from a marathon so right now and for the next year or two I'm going to run shorter races, the longest being half marathons. I can bounce back from a half in several days and I suspect the long recovery period required after a marathon has been a gateway for me to start making excuses and slack on my training in the past.

So what's the Plan Man?

No more marathons! Not until I'm truly ready. I'm not running another marathon until I'm fast enough to run a Boston qualifier which is a 3hr10min marathon for my age group (35-39). My next marathon, whenever that may be, will be the one where I qualify for Boston which is a dream and bucket list item for so many runners. And these two weeks have been the start of what I hope to be my path to fulfilling that dream and being a happier, healthier person in the process.

I've got about 4-6 work weeks ahead of me that will require that I work 50-60 hours per week but I've done this plenty of times before and still managed to get my exercise in. I look forward to reporting another successful week of running next Sunday!

No More Excuses!