Three Out of Four Ain't Bad

I can't seem to keep anything going these days.

It's been a year of transitions so far, and not all of them have been good ones, to be entirely honest. I do my best not to make my personal struggles the fodder of the internet, as I'm sure there are any number of other social media outlets that you can check for that, but it's the usual things. Money, employment, personal control of the future, etcetera.

Friday night, I went to a lovely night of theatre with Present Company's production of Much Ado About Nothing on the rooftop of the Whole Foods flagship store downtown. We went to have drinks with the cast afterward, and when we got home late, I looked at the time for my work in the morning, and recognized that there was really no chance that I was going to run before work. After 9 1/2 hours on the floor, I drove home in 93 degree weather and knew it wasn't going to happen then either, so all of three days into May, I've already missed a day of running.

Oh well.

Considering how many times I went up and down two flights of stairs yesterday, I'm not overly concerned about the loss of fitness from one day, and it wasn't like I was sitting around the house eating potato chips.

Honestly, I'm okay with having a few "cheat"days here and there. My concern isn't with the overall product, but with my personal mindset. I tend to be an all-or-nothing personality. It's much easier for me to get out and go for a run first thing in the morning if I've gone thirty days in a row and I don't want to break my streak. It's easier for me not to have a beer if it's been a really long time since I had one. And often, when I break these streaks, I often hit the "nothing" side of things pretty quickly.

I ran today, though, which is something. It helps to have someone waiting for you when you need motivation to get out of bed, so my Sunday morning runs are extremely valuable for that reason. At least it gets me out the door.

And even though I won't have run every day in May, 30 out of 31 is still good. As is 29 or 28. The point is to do more, and I believe I'm well on my way.

If I can keep it up.

My Left Foot

My left foot is a jerk.

Despite what I seem to do for it, stretch or relax, rest or work, ignore or treat, it always hurts a little bit when I wake up in the morning, and about an hour after I've been using it, whether that's from a run or from a long day on the floor of a restaurant.

When it first started being a jerk, I just worked through it. Even in situations where I've just woken up and I hit the road for a few miles (like today), it would only hurt for a few minutes and then relax. So I tried stretching it beforehand, which seems to have done nothing more than slow down my morning routine. With that in mind, I took to the magazines and internets to find treatments. The best lead I had actually came from my mother, who sent me a boot for plantar fasciitis. Again, some help, but not enough to make me wear a plastic shoe to bed every night.

So I tried resting it. I haven't run much in the last six months. A few miles here and there, usually very easy. Nothing too strenuous. And as a result, my left foot always hurts a little bit when I wake up in the morning and about an hour after I've been using it.

Jerk.

I'm sure any number of doctors will disagree with me, but as I see it, this leaves only one course of treatment. The silent treatment. Shut up, foot. You're fine. Get running and you'll feel better in half a mile or so.

This was what I did this morning when, a little later than planned, I headed out the door for an almost seven-miler. I put on my new shoes (more to come on those soon), and started running, and for the first minute, thought I'd made a huge mistake. The second through fifth minutes were difficult, and by minute six, I realized I had to slow down or I'd never finish.

My foot is currently silent. I'm sure I'll hear from it in an hour or so.

Jerk.

May: No Maybe

Having options can be dangerous.

We all value the freedom of choice, to be sure. Do I want Coke or Pepsi? Will I be a doctor or a lawyer? Should I stay or should I go? It's nice to believe that you've got some control over the road that lies in front of you.

But sometimes, say at around 6:00 in the morning, having choices can be detrimental, unless you're programmed to make the right one. I'm not. Yet.

So for this month of May, I've decided that I don't have a choice. I must run, every day. Done. It's decided. No question.

Now for today, this wasn't hard for me. I worked from 10 - 3, and then had nothing planned for the rest of the night, which meant that I got to run when I got home. Sure, it was 80 degrees outside, but I burned through three miles with a new best-in-a-while time. It's tomorrow, and then next week, when it starts getting more interesting.

See, tomorrow night, I've got things to do, and starting next Wednesday I go back to the world of 8:00am start times. Not gonna lie, that'll be a little rough. But, rough or not, I don't have a choice. This month is May. Not maybe.

See what I did there?