After the After Party...

The marathon is now officially a thing of the past... kinda. I've put the 26.2 ornaments (yes, plural) on the tree. The sticker is on the car. Got the tank top to wear to the gym. I've said the word "marathon" enough that I'm sick of hearing it myself. LOL. Though, I have to admit, I still think how the hell did I survive that every time I see anything with 26.2 on it. But now that it's over, now that the training has come to an end, what do we do? What do we talk about?

A second marathon, of course....

You might be thinking man, that chick is nuts! Man, you might be right. As I worked out my new training schedule, I groaned at the long runs and all the insane things I had planned for this round of punishment. I got excited. Then I got tired (this just from looking at the schedule.) I told myself I was insane. I wondered what the hell I was thinking when I signed up for this thing at the Half last year. I know what it was. I was caught up in the excitement. Plus, I'd made a promise to a friend that we would do it together. Things changed. Plans changed. They do sometimes. Either way, here I am, entering ANOTHER round of marathon training, and without the requisite sitting on my ass and recovering from the last one. 

New calendars went up on the fridge, on the door between me and the ice cream and all the other frozen goodies that I'm trying to stay away from. Inspiration Station, I called it. There's a picture of my graduation 5k from 2015 and the time, my first half marathon and it's time (which I can beat by 30+ minutes now), and my first full marathon (which I intend to beat by a full hour next time around.) There's the 26.2 RNR sticker that will go on my car after the race. Most importantly though, and for mental prowess, is the note from my sweet friend Daniela. She'd left it on my car after I survived my first twenty mile training run, one which felt amazing and gave me confidence to see that journey through to the end. It's a great reminder that I can and I will. Failure is not an option. That being said, I'm a little burned out.

I thought the star system would be a great visual representation of how well I'm sticking to my training, and of course, perfect weeks get a reward, but right now I'm having a hard time getting motivated. I probably tried to jump back in it too fast. I probably should've given myself an entire week, but I got insecure and worried about my training. I didn't want to lose ground after six months of putting my body through hell. Well, I've had a serious conversation with myself about these fears. They're ridiculous. My body is trained, and after the first of the year, we'll get back on board with early, sweaty mornings and little aches that can't be explained. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the holidays and work at a pace that makes me love the lifestyle I've chosen. I hope to see you all in the new year. 

In the meantime...