Runfessing My Reality

Can you believe 2017 is coming to an end?

It's been an interesting year for me, given the unexpected surgery that nearly threw me into a tail-spin six months ago. Thankfully, I have been able to rally back, and can bid 2017 a fond farewell with no regrets. All things considered, all is well that is ending well.

That being said, there are a few last-minute Runfessions that need to be addressed and brought to light. You know how it is...full disclosure and all.


Here you go...my final Runfessions for 2017:

The Runner's World winter run streak. This is my fifth consecutive year doing the Streak. Every year, it starts on Thanksgiving  Day and concludes on New Year's Day. Each year, the daily count of streaking runs differs (due to the fact that Thanksgiving's date is ever-changing). This year, the Streak is 40 days in length...the longest streak ever (at least for me). Let me runfess to you all that this is the first year that the final week hasn't been a total mind game to persevere and finish. Usually, by the time I get to the final week, it drudges on forever to get to that final day.

Yay!!! It's been an easy streak!

Oh the weather! Momma N has really unleashed her wickedness in terms of this recent Artic blast. I swear... every morning, I have had the revelation that it was (indeed) the coldest morning ever. Then, the next morning, it would be even colder, followed by even more frigid temps the following day....Holy Chilly Buttcheeks, Batman! Although I'm a hot weather lover, I can handle the cold. But I gotta runfess I have just about had enough with Momma N and her antics. Alas, I will not let her not defeat me!

Holy Brrrrrr! Thursday was, indeed, the coldest morning so far...

And, this is what we have in store for the next several days...

The return of the dreaded DOMS. I love a good workout as much as the next fitness-minded person. Wednesday morning, I did a pretty intense circuit session involving 100 (total) flights of stairs, various strength moves for my arms, and 100 (total) push-ups. I even did the push-ups on the stairs so they would be easier than traditional "on-your-toes" push-ups. My thinking was that the angle of the stairs would allow for a better range of motion, which meant that I could do them nice and slow and get a good burn. That was all well and good until Thursday mid-morning when the DOMS showed up. It's been a long time since I've had any upper body DOMS. I gotta runfess, these DOMS were painful! It hurt to brush my teeth, wash my hair, and putting on (and taking off) my heavy winter jacket was torture. Humbled again.

The stairs...and the hand weights that brought me the DOMS

The beloved #5at5's. As mentioned, this week has been especially cold. As a result, I have done most of my runs in the afternoon or at least in the daylight (just after sunrise). I have still been getting in all of my streak runs and other "longer" runs as well. Although it has been a nice change of routine, I have to runfess, I still have an affection for the early morning #5at5's (thankfully, I got to get my #5at5 fix on Thursday morning).

one of my many #5at5's (prior to the cold weather of late)

Oops! Tuesday morning it was bitterly cold (but I knew it was gonna be a sunshiny afternoon), so I joyfully postponed my streak run until later. Instead, I opted to have an extra chai latte' while I dilly-dallied on the computer before heading in to work. It wasn't until I was seated at my work station that I realized I had inadvertently broken my streak (of nearly six months) of daily early morning "cardio something" right outta the sack. Every morning, I'd either go for a short run, a quick walk through the 'hood, or maybe 20-minutes of cardio on the stairway....SOMETHING. But on Tuesday morning, NOTHING happened (except for my daily 2:30-minute plank while I waited for my daily chai latte). Even though this "early-moring-cardio-streak" had been going strong for nearly half of the calendar year, let me runfess that I have not lost any sleep over this little hiccup. I resumed the early morning cardio thing the following day, and I am totally fine with that. End of story, moving on.

oops...that would be the extra chai latte'.....

So, that's it. I am now ready to officially usher in 2018 with a clear (running) conscience and am eager to see what adventures await me and my running shoes.

How about you? Do you have any remaining runfessions to share? Have you ever experienced any of the ones I shared above?

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I'm linking up with Marcia for the monthly Runfessions. 

I'm also linking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0.