The easiest hard decision I’ve ever had to make this week

I have a confession to make.  My last long run? Oh, umm, it was back in August on the 17th.  Fourteen miles…split between two days. It was rough.  The week before, I busted out 18 miles.  And by “busted” I mean, I ran on the treadmill.  Treadmill running is still legit but 18 miles on a treadmill is a WHOLE different world than on pavement or trails.  Ya know?   Then the week after the rough/split 14 miles, we went to San Francisco to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. After that, I kind of face planted into a mess of not wanting to get up in the morning to run, right as the teens started ramping up their daily doubles and the rest of the back to school events ensued.  And by events, I kind of just mean, back to school shopping and soaking up the rest of the summer in a kick backed manner.

Basically, I just painted you a messy picture of why I decided yesterday that I’m not going to run the Portland, Oregon marathon for my 4th year in a row.  (See I had to tell you I’ve already run it three times so you wouldn’t think I’m a slacker….but we all know the truth. Shhh….)

I’m ok with it.  I had been dreading it and already looking past it to future races.  I’d love to focus on some shorter races and stay in running shape for a half marathon being my longest distance.  I know there will be more full marathons, but for now, I’m really pleased with my decision. There have been some shorter races in the spring and summer that I would like to do and a trail running series that sounds fun, but I’ve either been too tired from marathon training or I didn’t want to risk getting injured. My hubs and I have already planned on running a local 5k here on October 5th and we’re going out for a test run next Sunday.  That’s progress!  We haven’t run together since October of last year.  Having a treadmill handy, I guess I kind of turned into an agoraphobic or one of these phobias:

Chionophobia

This is the fear of snow. Which if you're a winter sports fan sounds pretty unusual but it often centers around a fear of snow flakes, making it an awkward phobia to have in certain climates.

Gephyrophobia

Another awkward worry to have: the fear of crossing bridges. If you're unfortunate enough to suffer from this then your journeys could get a lot longer. Modern architecture helps prevent disasters like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that collapsed spectacularly in 1940, just a few months after it was first opened to the public.

Fear of cracks in the pavement

Another one I couldn't find an official name for. This is the phobia of stepping on cracks in the pavement and is normally coupled with the worry that the cracks will open up and maybe swallow you up or - in one of the more extreme examples I found - suck you into another dimension entirely.

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Oh and in other news?  Two of the peeps at my office have some sort of yucky cold/flu.

 

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Not that I want to get sick but it’s not like I’m on Outbreak Watch like I have been in past years.  Well, I did disinfect my phone this morning after a client used it, so never mind.

 

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