After going back and forth on what races to run this winter in Arizona I think I have a game plan.  Ya’ll already know I completed my first race and the Phoenix Color Me Rad 5K is next.  Last week I registered for the Fiesta Half and I really want to run the Lost Dutchman and/or Phoenix Half Marathon (Have yet to sign up for either). My plan is to continue sprinkling in some of of the remaining XTerra Arizona Trail Race Series races and I haven’t ruled out registering for a late spring race possibly in California.  By then my race funds will probably have dried up but I can always hope, right?

I had a very hard time deciding between the Tucson Half versus the Fiesta Half. Ultimately price and location are what sealed the deal for me.  Unfortunately with me going back and forth for so long I didn’t even realize I should be training for prospective races I wanted to race. So instead of starting at Week 1, I had to jump in at Week 4 of my training plan. Whoops.

Now, I gotta share a “keeping it real” moment.  As time goes on my runs in Arizona have not really gotten much easier. Let me clarify.  My runs have NEVER been easy no matter what my location. What I mean is that lately things just haven’t been clicking.  Have you ever gone through a running/workout funk?  I’m not talking about  when your heart’s not in it, but when everything seems to be working against you.  That’s where I am.  I have the zest for running and training, but I feel like my shoes are full on concrete, my gear is rubbing in all the wrong places, and I’m struggling to with each step to keep forward momentum.  In other words I feel like I’m revisiting my not so pleasant days of training for Rev3CP. What’s the deal?!  I’ve trained for these distances before.  Have I gotten soft and blocked from my memory how hard training really was?

For the past year I’ve tried mixing things up to get the fun back in my run.  As I sit down and think about it, am I lacking fun in my run?  No.  I have the enthusiasm and drive that I had when I initially started running.  I don’t hold any goals or expectations over my head so I really have no worries.  I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t really a mental issue, but a physical problem(s) that I’m having.  Improper fueling, inadequate hydration, or maybe the wrong gear.  I have no clue.

I am in no way a world-class, superstar athlete, but when it feels like almost every training session for close to a year has whipped your butt, that’s a pretty major blow to your ego.  Mind you, this past Sunday the skies cleared and the stars align for an almost perfect 8 mile run.  There was really no rhyme of reason to my preparation and I was initially dreading it, thinking I’d do poorly, and then things just clicked. What?!  No clue…at all. Here’s to more runs like that!

In the meantime, at least I have nice surroundings and a great view.

Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)