Re-inspiration

So far this year, I've ran:

the friendship run (but only 10 miles)

the skyline ridge half-marathon

and

golden gate headlands half-marathon

I ran the friendship run below a 9 minute mile pace and was fairly stoked. Then the hills of skyline and the golden gate headlands kicked my ass and I learned that a sub-9-minute-mile half-marathon will require a flat course for me.

So, I'm registered for a few more runs this year, most of which are blissfully flat. To date, the tenative line-up of races (okay, let's be honest, they're group runs the way I do 'em) for the remainder of 2005 includes:

bay to breakers which I'd planned to walk with my mom and sister, but now my step-dad has gall-bladder surgery scheduled, so mom may not make it, which would suck if mom couldn't come, but could mean that sis and I could run it.

Escape to Lands End -- Either a 10K or a 20K. It's still tentative, but seems like a good idea as a training run for the next run.

napa to sonoma wine country half-marathon -- where I'm hoping to break the 9 minute mile half-marathon obstacle. This means I need to get my butt in gear.

America's finest city half marathon (San Diego) -- with D and possibly R, an excuse to go down to Southern California and hang out with my bay-area-fleeing friends.

The nike half marathon -- Another tentative one, but good weather and an opportunity to run with D who will be in town for college football make it a promising suspect.

And finally,

The US half (san francisco) -- where I'll set a reasonable time goal based on the earlier races and run across the Golden Gate Bridge.

The point is, I needed to motivate.

I ran 6.1 miles today. Slowly. On the treadmill. In the gym. I haven't been treating my body very well. I've been slacking for the last month. My feet hurt after the run and I probably need new shoes, which are expensive and annoying since this pair only has 325 miles on 'em. (Of course, several of those miles were in the rain, mud, and ocean, hence why the shoes feel like lead when I run, plus, they feel like I'm cutting it close to some nasty blisters since the insteps are worn in weird ways.)

But now, after writing about my plans for the year, I'm motivated. Starting tomorrow, I'm going back to the healthier ways I'd had from Jan to early April. I enjoyed the way I felt. I had fun. And, I had an insatiable appetite that showed no negative effects on my physique. That alone, when combined with summer associate gorge-fest is reason enough. But for some reason I needed to spell it all out.

And now, as I suspected, I've got the motivation I needed. I'll buy the shoes. I'll run the training miles. Odd. But whatever works, I suppose.