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Time to panic…I mean prepare.

Vacation is over. The laundry is still waiting to get sorted. I have managed to go grocery shopping and refill the refrigerator. I have worked through most of the pictures and posts. (For those who may be confused, I’m backdating the posts so they post on the real date even though they didn’t go live until yesterday. I like to keep all my vacation updates in real time).

And now that I’ve had a week to sleep, pay bills, sleep, unpack, sleep, clean the house, and sleep, I have to face the calendar. In just a few short weeks, before I get all crazy with college football excitement, I will start another marathon training cycle.

While I am looking forward to training again, I’ll be the first to admit that taking on a 4 month program is daunting. I know what to expect now. I know there will be bad days and hopefully more good running days. I know in the fall, I get seasonal sinus infections. Last year, I had to stop marathon training for pesky things like bronchitis, pneumonia, and broken and separated ribs from coughing. This year, I don’t want all that. I don’t have time to get sick! I don’t have time for injury, either. Broken ribs are about all the injury I can handle at one time and I’ve already been there and lived to tell about it.

So yes, I’m trying to get mentally prepared to start a new training cycle. In the past, I’ve just watched the day on the calendar and when that day came around, I followed the directions and ran. This time, I need to get my head in the game before the game even starts.

Deep down, past the nerves, I like training for races. I like training for marathons. There is something about having a structure and a goal in mind. It all goes back to why I run in the first place. It’s my passion. As Sister Mary Clarence said in Sister Act…

If you wake up in the morning, and you can’t think about anything but singing, then you should be a singer, girl.

In my case, I’m thinking about running.

It won’t be long until I’ll wake up thinking about the marathon. And then I’ll go run. No need to panic. Just wake up and get it done.