I’m not entirely sure what’s come over me. Ever since I finished the half marathon – over a month ago – I’ve been lackadaisical about my training. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve run in the last month, whereas before I was running 4+ times a week.

I knew it would be different when I was done training for the half, and that was a good thing – that training was super intense, and I was starting to feel burnt out – but I thought once it was over I would run when I wanted to run and enjoy it.

As it turns out, I rarely want to run.

I want to run, but I don’t want to run, if you can catch my meaning without the benefit of intonation.

Take today for instance: I was up MUCH earlier than usual. Hours earlier, in fact. It’s a beautiful morning, and I had nothing pressing to do. It looked so nice outside and I kept saying to myself “Now would be the perfect time to go for a run: I have the time, the weather is right for it, I have clean workout clothes… I should really go.” But I didn’t actually want to.

And so I didn’t.

What’s wrong with me? Every time I run I enjoy it (or at least enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I return home). I never regret going, but I often regret not. So why can’t I push myself to just get out there and do it?

My malaise is very frustrating. I feel like I know better. Know better than to sit around feeling bad about not doing something when nothing is preventing me from doing that thing.

But still, I don’t go.

The thing I know will help is scheduling runs with other people, so that’s what I’m working on now. One of my husband’s coworkers is relatively new to running and has invited me to join her, so I’m trying to coordinate that. Then there’s J-Roc, the original running partner, but we keep having scheduling issues. I’m also going to visit my family for a few days next week and Friend #1, also a runner, lives nearby so I’ll enlist her to run with me while I’m there. Maybe if I run a few times with others that will get me back in the swing of things…

If anyone has any other suggestions to get myself out of this listlessness, by all means, share.

This month has been oh-so-very busy. Exceedingly busy. Extraordinarily busy.

My husband and I own a duplex that we rent out. Both of the tenants we had moved out this month – the same week, in fact. That means I had to clean, complete minor repairs, coordinate big repairs, and do yard work for basically two houses. Not to mention keeping my own household running. Oh yeah, and running my business…

Besides that, there was also the search for new tenants. Our duplex is quite nice and in a great neighborhood, so we typically fill it in short order. Thankfully, this time was no different – I got both sides rented out within a week – but what a week it was! Placing ads, answering phone calls, responding to emails, and giving tours takes up a ton of time and energy.

It’s exhausting really.

By the end of the day, I have had very little energy left. This has not boded well for my physical fitness (or keeping up with my blog!).

We’ve been eating out far more than normal (or rather, eating in, but with food that’s been magically brought to our door…) and far more than is healthy. To make matters worse, many of my workouts have also been sacrificed in order to keep up with everything else. In fact, besides the Race for the Cure, I hadn’t run a single time since the half marathon two and a half weeks ago until I forced myself to get on the road again this past Wednesday. That run felt really good too – I should make a note of how much I like running, because it’s so easy to forget when you’re warm and cozy on the couch watching reruns of The Office.

I’m happy to say that I have made time for the Total Body Workout class at my gym on Monday nights. I had to skip it for the entire duration of my hip hop class since they are (were) held on the same day, so I’m making a definite point of going now that I can. It’s such a great workout – I can’t believe how much I can sweat and hurt in one short hour.

I’ve also been playing softball, but our last game was this past Thursday, so that’s a bummer. Of course, as much as I love playing, it’s not much of a workout, so it’ll be good to get back to spending that time at Kung Fu and getting a more intense exercise session that way.

With just a few more tasks to complete at the duplex, things should be getting back to normal before long. I can’t wait to have more energy so I can return to the days of home-cooked meals and 5-mile runs.

And blogging on a regular basis, of course.

I woke up this morning feeling reasonably normal. Then I remembered what I did yesterday and a surge of pride ran through me – 13.1 miles is a big deal for me! Hell, it’s a big deal for ANYONE, but it feels particularly momentous for me. Let me explain:

Three short years ago, I weighed over 260 pounds, and couldn’t run to the bathroom without getting winded. After I changed my eating habits and lost some weight, I started walking for exercise. Then, in August, I started running, little by little, using the Couch to 5k program which was great, but I didn’t complete the whole thing. (Boo, former Kimberly!) By the time I ran my first 5k race on Mother’s Day, 2008, I still wasn’t able to run the entire thing.

I finally ran 3 miles straight outside – without walking – for the first time in September of JUST LAST YEAR. I then cranked up the training a notch to be able to do 5 miles on Thanksgiving, and then again to be able to do a 10k December 1. That’s still only 6.2 miles – which is a lot, but it’s a far cry from 13.1 – not even half!

It blows my mind how quickly I was able to progress once I finally gave it an honest, consistent try. And to think that I couldn’t do much of anything 3 years ago – Wow! This really is a huge accomplishment! My biggest physical feat to date. And I’m proud :)

Physically, I feel pretty darn good today, too. I thought I would hurt more, based on how terribly I felt immediately after the race. But no! I’m a bit sore today, but no more than I was the day after any of my other long runs. Honestly, the thing that hurts the most is the chafing I got under my arms and on my waist from my wet clothes rubbing against my skin for 2.5 hours. It feels better today than yesterday, though, so hopefully that will go away completely in relatively short order.

I’ve already been asked two questions over and over: if I’ll ever run a half marathon again, and if I plan to start training for the full now.

Will I ever do another half marathon? Probably, yes, but I’m not thinking about that just yet. For now, I’m going to bask in the glory of my latest triumph, and enjoy getting back to a more well-rounded workout routine. For many, many weeks now, I’ve just been running, running, running. I’ll continue to run, certainly, but will likely drop it down to 3 days a week and max out my long runs at 6 miles, instead of double-digit runs. That will leave more time to add back in a little strength training, something I feel like my body has really been missing. Hip hop is over now, too, so that will allow me to get back to my Total Body Workout class at the gym, which I’ve missed as well.

Do I plan to start training for a full marathon now? Hell no! That’s not to say that I’ll never do a full marathon – who knows what the future holds? Especially considering nine months ago I couldn’t run more than 3 miles… For now, though, that’s not in the plans. Training for the half took up a ton of time and was very challenging. Of course, I liked the challenge and I’m glad I did it, but to do double that distance? Wow. Not sure about that. I’d love to SAY that I’ve done a marathon, but I’m not convinced I actually want to DO one. We’ll see, though.

If it’s okay with you, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy my victory for another day before moving on. Because this was a huge win for me.

A Quick Note: THANK YOU to everyone for your encouragement and applause throughout the training process and then event! It means a ton to know that you care and have faith in me – more faith than I have in myself sometimes! Honestly, it has kept me going at times I’ve wanted to stop. So thank you. Give yourselves a big hug from me!