I made up my mind.

"The old grey donkey, Eeyore, stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought to himself, 'Why?' and sometimes he thought, 'Wherefore?' and sometimes he thought, 'Inasmuch as which?' and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about."

Sometimes I think those things too! At least that's what I think about running right now. Things still seem to be wavering between one of two extremes--either a run/workout is completely effortless and feels downright magical, or I get my $@*t completely rocked in what should be just another workout. No in between. Either up or down. Black or white. On or off. You get the idea. Why? I dunno. Wherefore? Beats me. Inasmuch as which? I don't even know what that means.

But hey I can't complain because at least I think I'm moving foward! Further, after a completely life-altering discussion with Paul Michel a couple of weeks ago concerning his views on pre-arranged marriages in India and other vitally important cultural topics, I came to an important conclusion during our discussion: I'm going to do the Running of the Green 7k and not the Gate River Run 15k on March 12th. Yes, it's true, I made a decision. You heard it here first! It was amazing really, one of those milestones in life where you think to yourself, "You know, that was a big step just now. I'm an entirely new person at this moment. I KNOW what I'm about and I explain myself to no one!" Thank you Paul! I appreciate you for bringing me to such a cornerstone in life! And you think he's just plain fast? You think he's just got a really symmetrical face? Wrong on both counts! He is a wizened sage, an Obi-Wan-Kenobi-caliber mentor with an old head on young shoulders who has incurred the wisdom that can only come from having lived the lives of countless men.

But really, it took me a long time to decide that. About the race I mean, not Paul. Because even though it spanked me last time, there is and will always be such a special place in my heart for Gate River. But a 7k played better into the racing plans for springtime than did a 15k so I had to put my sentiments and emotions aside, think like a rational animal, and make a choice. Plus I'm still trying to track down my missing Mojo. So that'll be the "opener" for the year--and hopefully a good year!

I haven't raced since Clubs but have gotten in a good chunk of training, not to mention uninterrupted (hooray!)--putting in the workouts and building up the long runs--which I'm pretty sure was all that I needed to get back in buisiness. The next couple weeks will tell! In any case, ROTG will be the perfect opportunity to shake off some cobwebs and get back at it.