Keeping up the motivation and other such struggles...

                   I have been so tired lately. It could have something to do with the fact that anytime I change anything in my diet or my exercise my whole rhythm comes apart. I have not had a normal cycle now for 2 months and this weekend of all weekends (Spring Break) 'Aunt Martha comes to town' and with it goes all my energy. I am going to search for another marathon training plan that is more doable. As it is right now I have a 4 -day training week and not only are the long runs getting longer, which is fine, but the weekdays runs were getting to be up to 2 hours 3 times a week, which is not really a sustainable plan I found out....
                     Therefore, for now I am trying to feel happy with just the fact that I am still getting out there and getting my runs in and trying not to focus on sticking with this plan so religiously that it ruins my day if I can't keep up. I need my confidence in these runs and feeling like I am not meeting my goals will not help, no matter how much I run. In the meantime, I am posting this picture I got sent from the Cherry Blossom 10 miler I ran 2 weeks ago....I think I seriously need to post this photo somewhere where I can see it....lately the UPS provided by my runs expire so fast......hard to maintain my euphoric feelings for longer than a day....I am hoping this just has to do with the fact that my body's rhythms are just totally off right now and am trying to just keep on moving forward....

On some positive notes:

** I have already run 483 miles this year!!! That is an average of 34 miles a week.....very nice!!  

** My Brooks Pure Connects (3) have been working awesome....I love, love, love these sneakers....

** I have been running al my runs using my Nathan's Hydration pack. Keeps my hands free. I can stick my phone and my mace in the pocket to my right and be on my way......it's hard now to go back to anything else....love having my hands free and nothing around my waist. 

** Have been dealing with my plantar fasciitis issues by wearing this foot wrap at night.....at first I felt stupid for spending so much money ($38) on such a device but after the first night I got up from bed with NO initial morning pain on my foot.....I have been using it for a week now and the odd feeling of wearing this bulky thing does go away after the first few nights. Now I can hardly feel it. Also, it does feel like it would not work, but it's very effective...no matter how subtle you may feel it might be initially. 

Joyous....

         Running's largest contribution to my life has not been fitness, or weight loss, or even pride, it's been the constant feeling of sheer joy. I don't quite know why or how exactly running has been able to accomplish such a unique form of happiness, but yes, I feel a constant flow of joy in my life and I attribute it all to running. 
           George Sheehan in his book Running and Being (an amazing book by the way) mentions something about the runner facing his or her mortality in every run. I am totally paraphrasing here, but in essence, he says that in every run there is a face-to-face encounter with mortal pain and an epic 'battle' takes place in us which we come to some form of deliverance at the end. This could be the source of the joy. The daily dose of 'triumphs', if you may, lends itself to us feeling invincible emotionally and physically which in turn allows us to see the world as amazing as we feel.