Mileage Bug

It has been 12 days now since I got back into the swing of running again. Despite a depressing and frustrating start at the beginning of last week, my morale and overall spirits are some of the highest I can remember. It is unbelievable what mileage does to ones spirits. No matter how tired, or sore, once I have taken a mere three steps I cannot wait to get to the trails and spend another 90 minutes out there enjoying Montana's beauty and the sheer act of running itself. 

I am glad to be back to loving the sport again. Every day this week as soon as I take my shoes off, I can't wait to slip them back on and head out again. It is an amazing relationship to have and one that I have missed and lost for quite some time. Every day I spend putting in higher mileage, I want more and more miles. Which is the completely opposite from when my mileage lowers. The less I run the less I want to run, the more I run the more I want to run. Logically I should be running 85-110 miles a week all the time then right? Should be. Sadly this past cross-country season I averaged a mere 58.8 miles a week over the 12 week season. In five days this week I already have 60 miles and am going to put in my longest run since August tomorrow. 

 At this point, I can not wait to continue to put in more miles; I would love to be in the hundreds already. But being smart about my build up is a must due to the fact that from January 16th until mid May I will be hammering out work outs on the track in order to put my best 12.5 laps together as I can. With that said, I have come to a decision that at the end of May, I will be deciding whether or not to continue as a D1 runner. I have enjoyed my time running at this level, but the miles and trails are calling to me more than the 8 painted lanes. I have given my collegiate running career four season of full dedication and immersing myself into the programs doing everything thought to make me faster. But I have had two races that I would consider worth while and an improvement from high school. So I am giving myself and the program two more seasons to prove itself. At the end, if I am still running virtually my high school times I will be making the move away from the track and into the mountains to train for ultras.