Running Into Joy

-cue Eminem's "Without Me"- Guess who's back, back again? After running the Great Race 10K proved that my body can, in fact, still do the whole running thing, I decided to work my way slowly back into a routine before starting to train in earnest for the Flying Pig Half-Marathon in 2020. I put my deferral code to good use and registered for the 2020 race. Friends, it was not easy. I felt fearful and futile and small as I filled out the form, not fully believing my body would let me be ready next May. Fearing that I would have to defer again, an endless loop until I finally let the race fees go to race and the dream die. But I did it anyway. Because that's fear talking. That's the old voice that whispers "You're a quitter. You give up. That's what you DO." Didn't we fight this battle back in 2018 with the whole "become a runner" thing? Yeah, that's what I thought, too. But so it goes--the same old cycle, our patterns ...

As we pull into the (exceptionally crowded) parking lot for Old Man's Cave, Andy groans. It's a beautiful, sunny Saturday in Hocking Hills, which means there are people everywhere. I assure him it won't be this way tomorrow when we're able to get there earlier in the day, or on the longer trails. We head towards the visitor center to fill our water bottles. On the way, we pass at least three people wearing some version of Ohio love on their shirts. I smile. I am home. Hocking Hills is the type of place that, when you say you're going there, you receive a blank stare in return. I've rarely met people who aren't from Ohio who know about this area, yet for me, it was a staple family getaway. I have memories of sitting in a cabin playing board games and reading, amazed by the lack of a TV, which was normally the constant hum in the background of my childhood. Plus, when we checked in to our cabin, there'd always be fresh baked chocolate chip cookies wait...

So you want to run a 10K but you've been sick and/or injured off and on for most of the year... Earlier this year, my boyfriend and I signed up for Pittsburgh's Great Race 10K, one of the largest standalone 10Ks in the nation. It would be my 3rd 10K and Andy's first race. I was excited to take on this distance again, and hopeful that 2020 would become my Half Marathon year. Admittedly, I was previous nervous to race with Andy, since he is faster than me and has more endurance, and I have a history of getting in fights with men who refuse to leave me behind when I'm struggling in a race. And then, 2019 hit me like a ton of bricks. First, shoulder and back injuries and issues. Then, some knee stuff. And finally, the onset of a mysterious and chronic condition known as occipital neuralgia. Do I sound like a broken record? Well, I feel like one. Needless to say, this put one hell of a damper on my training plans. I tested a few short runs to see if they brought on any ...