Runfessions – Black Friday Edition

Hello and welcome to our monthly Runfessions with Marcia’s Healthy Slice. In this confessional, we repent of our running sins and receive absolution from fellow runners (and other interested parties). Thank you for joining me, now let’s runfess.

Another “quality” selfie of Hubs and me

I runfess I haven’t been writing much about running lately. I don’t know why. Since the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October, I have been running the way I want to run, not following a marathon training plan, but my only recent race was the Community Challenge 10K trail run in Williamsport, Pa. For me, running races leads to writing race reports, which leads to running-related posts.

I did write a race review for the trail race but other than that – zero, zip, nada, no running posts. I guess I have been pondering and writing about other topics recently, but I do enjoy writing about running and reading other writers’ running blogs.

Soooo…I have now made a list of running-related topics I want to explore. You can count on hearing from me more often in December, runners.

Yes, I ran on this soggy track.

Speaking of running the way I want to run, I runfess I have started doing track intervals again, even though I get the feeling I am too old for this stuff. Am I too old for this stuff? Please tell me I am not too old for this stuff.

Three years ago, I did a season of track intervals with a friend before school once a week. In the dark, we huffed and puffed as we circled the track, each doing our individual version of an interval workout. My race times decreased dramatically.

For the workouts to do me any good, I know that I have to be consistent. I can’t expect to see any benefits until probably at least early spring. I may have to move my workouts indoors to the (ugh!) treadmill this winter when the track is covered in snow. My intention is to do a speed workout every week.

My PR days are long past me, but I do have one time-related goal I would like to achieve. More on that in future posts.

I have learned that in running, you never say “never“, but I runfess the Marine Corps Marathon may be my last marathon, at least for a while.

Now that my hubby and running partner Bill has retired, we are on the road often, exploring new destinations and visiting our far-flung family. Frequent trips have disrupted endurance training.

I love to discover running routes in new places but taking the time to do a twenty-miler when we are on vacation or spending time with family doesn’t fit our plans. I think I will stick to training for shorter races in the near future.

I am holding Yaktrax

Speaking of upcoming races, I runfess my January calendar is full and I like it! January is often a slow time for racing in and around Pennsylvania, but there are still some races available.

In 2020, I will be doing two old favorites, CJ’s Resolution Challenge, a three-hour trail race in R. B. Winter State Park and the Phunt 25K trail race, probably my favorite race of all-time, in Fair Hill Maryland.

The picture above was taken at CJ’s when the temperature at the start of the race was zero degrees Fahrenheit.

I was wearing two layers of everything that day and did not feel cold during the run. After the race, however, when I went into an enclosed pavilion to warm up by the fire with some hot chocolate and chicken corn soup, my fingers did not work for several minutes. I could not grasp a cup.

Hubs and I are also going to do a new (to us) race when we visit my sister in Florida, which I am very excited about. We signed up for The Pump House Run, an eight-mile trail race (do you see a pattern with trails in January here?) around Lake Apopka.

The pictures I have seen of the race venue look beautiful and my sister assures me there is very little chance of zero-degree temperatures in Florida.

Thank you for hearing my runfessions, brothers and sisters. My soul is unburdened once again and I can run unfettered by remorse. Until next month, when I am sure I will have more sins to runfess.