I don't feel like a failure!

So this morning I woke up to my "run" alarm and went for my run outside.  It felt great!  Well, sort of.  

I chose to run on my road rather than the main road, and as I was driving to work (on the main road) this morning, I realized the run would probably have been easier.  My road was snow covered in places where people clean their driveways by pushing snow across the road, whereas the main road was mostly tar.  Something to keep in mind for tomorrow morning.

For some reason I get a queasy stomach before I go for a run, even when it's at 5 AM. In the dark.  Alone.  Maybe that's why.

Well, for running outside for the first time in over 2 weeks, it was a good run.  The wind is always strongest when I pass the fields because they're on a hill and the wind just rushes down toward the road.  But once I get to trees and flatter land it's not so bad.  It's usually windy at the start of my run when I'm on my road, but rarely windy on my way back.  Which is really nice.

So here's my Strava run report for this morning.  It was 25ºF, which was a nice temperature with 2 layers, my warm compression pants, and a Turtle Fur headband. 

If I run tomorrow morning on the main road, it will be a longer run, and probably even a faster run, too.  The  only thing is that at the start of my run on the main road, it's a slight decline, so that means it's a slight incline all the way back.  Oh well, I'll live.  

Day 1 - New Years Day

So, I've done what pretty much everyone else in the world on the first day of the year does.  I've created a New Year's resolution. I know it's cliché, but I did it anyhow.

I felt that today was just as good as any other day to start over again.  

I've actually been running since August before school started back, but the past two weeks I've been lazy and unmotivated. I've tried to analyze why.  Before my lack of motivation, I've been getting up on most days around 4:45 A.M. and hitting the road with my reflective vest and headlamp before getting ready for work.  But then we went through a period of single digit temperatures and snow.  That wasn't too bad.  I've got the gear and the shoes to run comfortably.  We even have a treadmill in the basement that I could use.  Struggling to get a good night's sleep is more of an issue for me.

I'm a light sleeper who's been dealing with hot flashes in the middle of the night.  Once I'm awake and cooled down, I get stressed out about getting back to sleep.  Every little sound keeps me from relaxing and dozing off.  So come morning when I plan to get up, I choose to stay in bed for the extra 45 minutes of sleep instead.

I have a support system.  My husband encourages me to keep running, our school's guidance counselor (an avid runner since his 20s) has declared himself my unofficial trainer, and my sister-in-law, her husband, my niece and I follow each other on  the Strava app.

I've also tried to use new running gear as motivation, too.  I've got a couple of pairs of insulated compression pants,

several wicking running tops with the thumb hole (whatever it's called), and the Turtlefur tubes to wear as headbands and/or neckwarmers.  There are times that they're not enough to get me going.

I've also read books about people running, trying to get motivation from them.  I've included a list of some of the books I've read off to the side.

Aside from the sleep issues, my biggest problem to stay motivated is that I haven't seen any progress in my weight loss.  I've only lost 4 pounds since August, and since I've been inactive for a couple of weeks, let's just say that those pounds have come back.  

So why am I writing this blog?  Basically to keep me accountable and for the motivation.  I would LOVE to hear from people, to hear of their struggles and triumphs.  Maybe we can motivate each other.