Back in Shape is a humongous understate… More like getting back in shape!  Truthfully it’s going really well!  I’m staying pretty consistent and am making an honest effort to run consistently throughout the week.  Every day I run I get more and more excited about getting back into shape!

It’s different this time around, as pretty much every element of running has changed - I’m in a new city, with a different type of terrain and climate then I’m used to.  I’m without a consistent team or group to train with.  I’m working a ton, so budgeting time out to run is something I’m not used to.  So it’s going to take some work…  But this time I’m feeling up for it!

Until the past couple of months I never thought I’d train to get back into racing shape again.  I guess I had this idea that if I was going to race again I’d have to be in the best shape of my life, and if I wasn’t running PRs in every race I entered I was wasting my time. 

This is extremely far from what I’ve been thinking lately…  All I want to do is race!  I just want to go out and have fun, and remember how much fun I used to have racing.  I mean, for goodness sakes - thousands of people go out each day and run marathons that were never extremely competitive in running!  If they can do that, I can run a road 5k… can’t I!?

I’m going to take it slow and add on mileage for the next couple of months with plans on running my first 5k (in a very long time) around Thanksgiving or early December.  I’m telling myself not to make tons of goals and expectations, but rather focus on running a race and seeing where that takes me…

I’m getting really excited!  Today I did my first 6am run in forever…  The moment I walked out the of the door I worried that I was going to regret waking up and getting out of bed.  It took about 20 steps for me to realize I made the right decision, and that I was going to thoroughly enjoy the next hour of my life!

Wonderful Run Today ... CHECK!  …  Wish me luck!