No regrets

I may feel differently come Sunday morning, when the gun goes off and I'm not there, but for now, I'm not regretting my decision to skip the Oklahoma City Marathon. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, with a side trip to CA for a discovery session last week on top of the usual workweek in Colorado. Three time zones in three days made for a very tired Skatemom. And then there was supposed to be a campout for Cub Scouts last weekend, too, which, had it happened, would have certainly wiped me out. Forecasted rain put it on hold, though, which meant I got to enjoy more than one night in my own bed (always a good thing).

I am definitely a goal-oriented runner, though, I have discovered. Without a race or event or something significant looming in the distance, without a countdown of some kind, I lose my way. As much as I do enjoy the actual physical act of running, it becomes something I should do instead of something I get to do when don't have a race on the horizon. And it makes it easier for the lazy part of my brain to win when I don't have a race on the horizon. Not in a "I'm not going to run today" way, but in a "eh, 3 miles is plenty today," or in a "I don't need to do hill repeats on the TM today," kind of way. So I definitely am one of those who needs something to work toward. And without OKC, and with the verdict on NYC not slated to come down until mid-June, I was kind of floundering. Until now...

Until I decided to do the Boulder Bolder! I've been living and running in Boulder or Denver since November, so I'm definitely tuned in to the altitude effects (I'm not going to say that I'm used to it, because I still forget sometimes, and wonder why the heck I'm panting and heaving and gasping going up the stairs for the Monday meetings on the 3rd floor!!). This is not a race that I could sign up for another year and just fly in for the weekend to finish. I would be dying. But now, the situation is perfect for it. I have the opportunity to work a short week afterward, so the airfare and hotel is taken care of (I may have to spring for the extra night of hotel on my own since I'm coming in a day early, but no big deal), and my brother and his family may come down from the mountains to join me in the race. It's one of the biggest 10Ks in the country, and it ends at the CU stadium, so how awesome is that? So, yeah, I'm in! I. Cannot. Wait!

As you can see by my post from earlier this week, it's reinvigorated me. I have rediscovered how much fun it is to just take off on a path or trail and run. I haven't been taking my Garmin or my iPod, and only use my watch because I can't leave the OCD behind entirely! But I've not been worried about distance or pace or speed. I've been just running. And breathing. And enjoying the experience. Which I'm not sure I would be doing if I was at OKC this weekend. Not this year. It's still on the list, and I will get it done, just not this year. And that's OK.