No excuses

Was a pretty good weekend.  The weather turned really nice for most of the weekend with clear skies and cooler temps.  A harbinger of spring, perhaps?  Before you start to put out the lawn furniture and start planting the vinca, you gotta remember where you are at.  This is Texas.  There’s an old saying down here:  If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes, it’ll change.  I’m pretty sure that saying could apply many other places, but it seems appropriate down here when the morning opens up at 37 degrees and we are capping out at 74 by the afternoon.  But this ain’t my first rodeo and I will wait to start any spring time activities until early March.  

Still was a decent weekend.  Spent most of it with the dogs.  Saturday, I took them to the local Farmer’s Market where our Golden Retrievers Rescue group has a booth set up as part of our public awareness efforts.  We cut a deal with the people who run the market and they give us a spot where we can set up a table and hang out with the dogs.  Our little band of furry misfits tends to draw a crowd with lots of attention, so I think this is a win-win for both us and the Farmer’s Market association.  Regardless of who benefits, the dogs didn’t to mind the attention.  Of course, with most Goldens, any opportunity to get lots of heavy petting is always welcome.  As usual, Claire & Grayson know how to work the crowd.

Sunday I took them to the dog park to “let their hair down”.  I kinda felt guilty about it.  All that time off over the holidays and I got so wrapped up in my chores and projects, I never took them over to the park.  Oh, I did many long walks to our local neighborhood pocket park and they got to run wild, but, to them, the dog park is almost akin to taking your kids to the playground with all sorts of new friends.  Great, clear day for a run at the park, meet new people, roll in the mud.  

The rest of the weekend was just a blur.  Fixing an edger, drop off recyclables, wash the truck, run to the grocery, etc.  I even got in a pair of short runs.  Weather was way too nice not to hit the streets.  Not hard/long runs, just enough to limber up and stretch the legs.  Of course, that won't help me much this weekend.  There is no way am I prepared for my annual pilgrimage to abuse myself on the downtown streets.  Yep.  It's that time of the year again.  Time once again for the Houston Marathon.  Or, in my case, the Half Marathon.  A wonderful opportunity to hit the streets with 40,000+ other crazies in the early dawn light and see how far I can run without puking.   

This will be number 6 for me.    Lord only knows why I am doing this again.  Oh, sure, I have my reasons and a cause, but this year it seems harder to find my motivation.

Each year I sign up in June with the intent of cranking up the training and getting better prepared than the last run.  Each year, I somehow lose steam around November and limp into the holidays with the misguided idea that I can catch up on my training over the holidays.  This year was worse than the last few - I've just not found the spark to keep up with my runs.  I am not sure why but I am just having a hard time finding my mojo for this run.  Yea, I could offer up a couple of excuses, but those would just be just that, excuses.  I am sort of embarrassed to be out on the trail with the rest of the truly dedicated runners with my lack of training.  It doesn't help that this is typically the time just prior to the run when I start to question my resolve.  Too late to cry about it now.  I just need to cowboy up, pop some advil and hit the streets.  I'm sure that my knees will have something to say about it come Monday.  

Some of the inspirational sayings I try to keep in mind :

• Either you RUN the day or the day RUNS you.
• There will be days I don't know if I can do a Half-Marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing I have. 
• I do not run to add days to my life... add life to my days. 
• Thirteen point FREAKIN' one miles.  It's that damn point one that kicks your butt!  

5 days