What's That Smell? Oh, That's Me Running Again!

If you are wanting to read stats, times, paces, distances, blah blah blah... you’re not going to find it. Running has never been about competing with anyone for me. It’s always been something I do for ME. My only competition? My own self and stupid Ménière’s Disease, which is really being a pain in me arse!

Prior to today, my last attempt at running sucked! I made it .6 miles from home before I had to turn around. Why? Because I was so dizzy that I was scared I’d end up in a ditch covered in mud.

So now I’m extra determined to battle through and try to not fall. I’ve got mileage plans written in my calendar as I prepare for the first race of the year that Jenn very easily talked me into doing. After that I resume to the half marathon distance thanks to talking with Tabitha after we were the strangers together in the Ragnar van. I’m very happy these two swayed me to sign up for the big distances I have always preferred.

This means my life of regular running and distance increasing is back! I have missed it, but I’m also nervous. Now I get the fun of pushing a stroller on runs when the weather isn’t too horrible. I don’t want to make a little girl freeze just so I can exercise. I already warned my mom that I might be making regular visits to her house so she can watch a busy toddler while I run.

The nerves are from the noticeable difference in running and vertigo always being present. Day to day I manage it fine. I am so used to it. And I always have my bag with me at work with my cane folded in it, just in case. So maybe I don’t always notice it because being dizzy is my norm. But now when I’m running it feels even stronger than it used to.

Basically, this could be an interesting round of race training! Racing doesn’t worry me. I’ve done the Shamrock 15K before with a Ménière’s attack mid race, resulting in almost being in tears and on the phone with my mom while I continued racing. During the Lacamas Lake half marathon in Washington, a course I HATED, I had a reaction to my Ménière’s medication and ended up very sick, yet I still finished thanks to fellow runners encouraging me. So I know I will finish these races, and runners will help me if I need it. They have before. That’s the nice thing about racing, for the most part we aren’t jerks to each other (at least not to each other’s faces). Heck I’ve made many friends just from running and have spent many races with total strangers and really enjoying myself!

All this babble is to say I am back! I might be blogging about running more often again. Today’s run was short but really nice. It was kind of my warm up run before I start my planned training. I don’t worry about pace, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw how I finished it out today. It was nice and peaceful. People were out working on their landscaping and some were inside enjoying warm fires, meaning I got to enjoy the yummy smell! And for the first time in ages I actually listened to music while running versus a podcast. One Direction, man, I like those guys!

And that’s that. Off to warm up, I'm freezing!