Half Full or Half Empty?

Shall we explore the half-full vs. half-empty in regards to my current situation?

I'll share a few random things that have left me in a juxtaposition of thoughts and feelings about these very random things. I consider myself a glass half full kind of person, but I'll let you decide. Here's the latest and greatest:


First of all, the weather. I know, I know, I know...the weather will happen and there's no sense stewing about it because I don't have an "in" with Momma N (not that she'd grant any of my requests anyways, the evil witch that she is). Seriously, the cold and damp weather has been such a buzz kill this week. I love the color grey (take an inventory of my closet and you will see a plethora of it), but I much prefer my sky to be blue. But, guess what? It takes grey skies to make rain....and rain turns the icky brown post-winter grass into a beautiful green carpet. And, the grey sky did give me a decent photo op recently....

The bright red traffic lights would not have been so dramatic with a blue sky in the background 

The busy-ness of spring. To put it bluntly, I have "stuff" happening almost every weekend until after Dam to Dam (June 3rd). But...Dam to Dam marks the end of marathon training,,,,and my taper will start upon crossing the finish line. And, that taper leads to the actual marathon for which I'll be tapering (Grandma's Marathon, June 17th). So, I guess I'm pretty much booked until July (because not much of anything will be happening after the marathon). This is actually a good problem, because I will be busy with my 26.2 training (lots of fitness), and I'll be up and running (literally) early every weekend (lots of sunrises to witness). And, I won't be tempted to add any additional races to my schedule (until after the marathon LOL).

Early morning miles. I'm an authentic night owl, but with early bird tendencies. I like getting up early and getting a jump start on my day...but that alarm clock is pretty annoying, rattling my cage at 4:15 (on my running mornings). I don't always jump out of bed and eagerly get dressed in my running clothes (fortunately, I usually have my outfit ready and waiting for me on the floor). Once I cross the threshold of the front door, though, I'm good to go. In the dead of winter, but especially in the heat of summer, there's nothing like an early morning hour of time well spent in the running shoes. It invigorates me, from head to toe. Heading to work, knowing the run is already done, frees up my mind to focus on my job. I don't have to worry about squeezing in a run later after work or after dinner.

Thursday morning's #5at5 (five miles at 5 a.m.)

My running shoes. Most runners look forward to new shoes, but I sort of dread it. My over-pronating feet (and high arches) can feel every miniscule "tweak" that happens to the new versions of my current models of favorite shoes. Case in point, the new models of my last two most-perfect-in-the-world-ever pairs of shoes were both "improved." First it was the Mizuno Wave Inspires (remember them? They got me through my first two marathons). Then it was the Brooks Adrenaline GTS.....they were my saving grace when my Mizunos had changed...until they changed as well. SO, here I am (again), on the verge of many upcoming long runs, and at a crossroads as to what to do. I'm tempted to go back to Nikey Structures. Those were my tried and trues, until, on a whim, I tried the Mizunos for the first time. Throw in the fact that I don't live near a local running store, and it gets even trickier with purchasing (and potentially returning) new shoes.  But, the sliver lining? There's probably a new model of a shoe out there (somewhere) that may work even better than these other favorites did for me. And, maybe, just maybe, I'll find it.

Can I mention the weather one more time? Spring weather is NOT a fun time for those of us who have daughters who play tennis. The wind is something awful. The grass near the courts is usually always damp and muddy. And, if the sun ain't shining, the temps can be brutal. The good thing about being a runner (a year-round outdoor runner, none the less), is that I have plenty of outdoor gear that works like magic. Thermal tights? (oh yeah, they fit nicely under jeans or can be worn all on their own). Pretty headbands? (I'm good on those). Comfy shoes that can get muddy? (Didn't I just mention my small army of retired running shoes?).

All decked out in my fleece-lined tights on a particularly windy afternoon

So, those are but a few of my current situations and dilemmas. First world problems, anyone? What would you rule on this...is my glass half full or half empty?

 I'm linking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0. The theme is beverages, so this is my twist on the topic.