Feeling old

I have been seriously sore lately. My feet hurt. My hips hurt. I was moping around thinking about all the serious, irreparable damage I've probably done to my body when suddenly it hit me:

I'm probably just getting old.

I mean, let's face it. The body of a 22 year old is unfortunately much younger than a body of a 25 year old. Especially a 25 year old with insomnia. Now, I know I'm being slightly melodramatic here, but isn't part of it just that my body is wearing down slightly with age and the running aggrevates this?

I've been an incredibly lucky runner. I have not sustained any serious injuries and I still have ALL of my toenails. I've never even lost one. Although my feet hurt, they have not become all scummy and ugly like some runners that you see. I've learned how quickly you can heal from minor cuts/rubs that you might get while wearing a sports bra or slightly too short socks (usually less than a week). After 42 miles in 24 hours last year, I walked right out of the hotel. I didn't shuffle. I walked. (ok I didn't run either, but let's give me SOME credit).

Sometimes I feel like I'm really missing out on part of the running experience by not having these horrible stories to tell (I lost my toenail in the middle of a date and he found it in is salad!). But as I grow sore, I'm more than thankful that I have had almost 3 great years of running pain free.

Now that I am finally starting to feel the effects, I am trying to be more careful. Instead of skipping the stretching completely, I've been trying to throw some in there (not too much though). I'm trying to focus on eating better meals instead of going with "I can eat whatever I want because I'll run it off," because ultimately, running will feel better if I have the right nutrition in me. I'm trying to sleep more and be gentler on my body.

But let's face it - there will just be sore days. I've never been one of those people who would push through an injury if I got one. I don't eat complete garbage all the time (although there are and probably always will be the occasional dinner of ice cream sandwiches) and in general I eat pretty healthy foods. I do recreational yoga on a more regular basis than I'd prefer to admit (at LEAST once every 3 months). So why don't I just cut myself a break, take a bubble bath, and continue my running?

Why, I think I will do just that.

Let's get some stuff straight

Ok, let's get it straight.

I'm not going to bow out of the DC marathon next month.
I'm not going to stop running.

I am not going to stop running.

It's been kind of a tough winter. I've been tired and sore and fat. But I refuse to give up on running marathons or more. This is going to be my 5th marathon! I love running in DC. I love RUNNING.

And let's get some more straight while we're on a roll.

Listen up, friends, enemies, and strangers: if you ride out the elliptical at the gym for 45 minutes, do NOT say that you just ran 5 miles. You did NOT run. You ellipticalled. Good job. I'm sorry, but that machine practically runs itself. You are not running. It DOES NOT COUNT. People keep telling me that they ran 5 miles in 40 minutes and I'm just in awe - wow, there's nothing wrong with America! We're not obese! We're doing great! NO. We ARE obese and I'm sorry but you cannot claim that you ran. Yes. You went to the gym. Good job. It's a step. But it's not running.

I have to say that even though I haven't been running as much as I should be, I'm still super defensive against people acting like they ran when just WENT ON the elliptical. I do that on a rest day.

Boo to everyone. I just had 2 ice cream sandwiches. I also had green beans. So it balances out, right?

Darn it, I didn't think so either.

What if I stopped running?

I'm tired. It's cold outside. My job is keeping me too busy. 26.2 miles is SO MANY MILES.

Why the heck did I sign up for a marathon next month?

I am really considering bowing out of this one. I'm still signed up for the 24 hour race, so it's not like I would just STOP running. But what if I did? What if suddenly, I no longer did marathons or 5ks or 10 mile races? What if MarathonMennone turned into just...Mennone?

It's a tempting thought sometimes, but it's also terrifying. Running has become a huge part of my identity. It keeps me focused and gives me a hobby other than "watching reruns of the Real Housewives." It is a much more remarkable hobby and it makes me feel special when I tell people "I run marathons." But I'm also just really tired...maybe 3 marathons a year is just too much for me. But at the same time...maybe it's not enough?

I know that I probably will not skip this marathon. But I need something to motivate me and I haven't been able to find it yet. Any suggestions?