Can't Stay Away, But Can't Stay Here Either...

So, I realize that I've been pretty spotty with my posting...not intended, but just kinda how it goes. I post a lot when I'm feeling good and running well. When I'm in either a mental, physical or emotional funk, I tend to stay away from blogging.

When I first decided I wanted to give a shot to qualifying for the Olympic Trials and started to increase mileage, it was by far the most fun I'd ever had running. I raced pretty well and just had a lot to say and talk about...it was exciting for me. When the injury happened, my worst fears were realized...I was out roughly 10-11 months before I could actually return to attempting to really TRAIN.

Now that I've gotten back into the swing of things, I think I've been a little shaken up by just how out of shape I am, and how much my body is just not in the same shape it was a year ago. I know that's a dumb thing to have to "realize", but it's the truth. I've struggled through workouts, though long runs, and occassionally through easy runs. Long and short, it's been way tough on my psyche and my confidence. By no means am I out of the woods on any of those things, but I've taken a couple of personal steps...not big steps, but steps nonetheless...and it's helped get me back on track, so to speak.

Chicago is less than 13 weeks away, and while running has continued to happen, blogging hasn't just because of the struggles. It may not be as frequent as I'd like it to be for a little while, but if you're following my blog and you've offered any encouragement in the past, by all means, stay tuned. I'll be back to more frequent blogging. Right now, my blog is pretty boring and uneventful, but as I overcome and attempt to slay the demons, things will get better...for running and for blogging.

Let me say that while I know not too many folks comment, knowing that I have some readers out there that, regardless of situation, send good thoughts and offer encouragement means the world to me. I'm generally a lone-wolf type of runner, and even when I'm in a group, I find a way to separate from them, sometimes by design, sometimes just by default. But I'm a pretty solitary guy in most of what I do, so when I get an encouraging word or thought, it really has a big time effect on me. I know that not everyone that reads this sends me good thoughts...I'm sure there's an eye-roll from time to time, a "whatever dude...you're not as good a runner as you think", and some might just think I'm not a real runner at all. Whatever the case, I'm thankful for the friends I have and thankful for the few people I have in my corner.

Rodriguez out! See ya on the roads. I'll be back to blogging in a few days.