I'm Baaaack!

Just when you thought you'd heard the last of me (Dad, I'm talking to you), I'm happy to report that Green Lightning Running and the Green Lightning runner are back in business! I'm back on my feet and taking on the roads again (albeit slowly), which means it's time to get this blog up and running. Last week I had the opportunity to put in just over 20 miles, much of it on soft surfaces, and though I'm sore and achy and hopelessly slow I'm pleased to report that my foot uttered not a peep of indignation.

With that said, I've been giving some thought to the form I want this blog to take going forward. For the last 2+ years I've used it as a daily log in which I record all my runs, workouts, races and cross-training sessions. This has been beneficial in many ways, at least for me, because it serves as a time capsule that allows me to freeze frame exactly how I was feeling and what I was thinking about during a particular run. It also comes in quite handy when I want to compare past and present workouts or races, and when I want to remember where I was or who I was with at a particular time. The down side of this rather compulsory format, however, is that it often leaves me struggling for words when I have a run or group of runs that isn't all that interesting. (Medium Freedom Park loop, anyone?) As time has gone on, I'm not too sure I see the value in recording each of these runs simply for the sake of doing so.

So, going forward, I have a decision to make. I can maintain the status quo and continue to document each day's training, which has worked well in the past (and presumably has been at least moderately interesting to my followers, since my daily readership numbers are decent). Jordan's blog (when he updates it regularly) is an example of this type of template. Another option would be for me to only post about specific runs and workouts when they are interesting or significant in some way, or when I think they represent a crucial part of my training. In between those times, I could continue to grace the world with my dazzling wit and thought-provoking ruminations on other aspects of my life, such as my super cool new job and my cat Weezy. Caitlin's blog leans more toward this format. This means I wouldn't necessarily be posting every day, but some days I could possibly post more than once depending on the circumstances. Either way, I plan on including the staple Week in Review post to keep a tally of my mileage and to summarize the overall mood and tone of my training.

So, what do you all think? Let me know which type of format is the most engaging, and I'm game to try it out for a while.

In the meantime, it's time to get back to some serious training. It was exciting and inspiring and emotional for me to see Caitlin, my training partner (and eating partner and tanning partner and general life partner) absolutely crush her marathon debut at Twin Cities this weekend. She worked unbelievably hard this entire summer and it paid off in a huge way. My main takeaway from this outcome, other than the realization that Caitlin is a complete badass, was simply: Why not me? Is there any reason why I couldn't do the same thing given a few months of proper training and a tiny bit of good luck? After running literally side by side with Caitlin for so many months, I'm fully confident that I could approximate some semblance of her result with a few months of effort and determination. This line of thought solidified my goal to run Houston Marathon in January with the intent of attaining the "B" standard for the 2012 Olympic Trials. It's clear that I need to be patient with my training and physical health before I fully ramp up my mileage, but with just over 15 weeks until race day I know there is plenty of time. I'm healthy and motivated to train and truly grateful to lace up the shoes every day, which I think is a recipe for success. Once again, it's time to move forward.