hello, spring!

So.. it's March. I'm not exactly sure how that happened. The days have been whipping by.

Life has been the same: work, school, social life (a relatively successful one at that!). Because it was winter, there was also some cross country skiing. Not much running.

I got to the point where I was so frustrated with myself over my laziness, that I signed up for the Pittsburgh Marathon (it was the plan anyways) and hired miss Jennie Hansen as my run coach. Better late than never!

That, combined with the (finally) melting snow has prompted actual training miles! Real, outdoor runs! Shorts! New outfits! New sneakers! The return of the joy of staying active!

I would say I'm working out 6 days a week, with Tuesdays off (because I have class), bike rides Thursday and Saturday, and runs the other 4 days. It's good, exciting, and consistent, and hopefully it will keep me from overdoing it. I'm confident that Jennie will get me to the starting line in Pittsburgh (which is in less than 2 months) ready to run 26 miles, and then after that, we can focus on a fall PR/BQ attempt. That's the plan anyways!

I also have a few other races scattered in there: the Seneca7, the Flower City Half Marathon, the Shoreline Half Marathon, and the Rochester Half-Marathon. A currently undecided fall marathon. Probably looking at a PR attempt at the Roc half if all goes well.

One weird thing that has been happening is I've had some major exhaustion going on. Back in Feb., I worked a week of overnights, and then John and I traveled to VT that weekend, and then I ended up getting sick the following week. The fatigue that came with the sickness persisted even after my nasty cold went away, and after a while, I stopped believing that it was caused by the aftermath of the nights/sickness combination. I know I have a lot going on in my life, but it's been this way since 2013 and I've always managed to stay healthy and on my game. I successfully trained for 3 Ironmans while working a shift rotation, I've made it through 2 marathon years while simultaneously in grad. school and working full time. Doing a lot in a day isn't a new concept for me. I like going to bed knowing that I've accomplished things at my job, intellectually, and physically. However (and this is where things get weird).. insomnia is my baseline. I've had trouble sleeping my entire life - it's the norm for me and although it got really bad a few years ago during the job with the shifts, it's since gotten manageable again (with the help of medication and sleep doctors and whatnot). So, when I started passing out at night within 30 seconds of crawling into bed while being seriously cuddled by my boyfriend (and I am a strict *don't touch me while I'm sleeping* kind of person), I started to think that something was up.

I ended up getting blood work done and found out that I am Vitamin D deficient. NBD right? Everyone in the Northeast is probably Vitamin D deficient. A lot of times you don't even know. However, I have been having symptoms like crazy, which is what prompted the blood test, which prompted a prescription for a giant weekly dose of Vitamin D.. for the next 3 months! I'm hoping it helps. It's hard to live a busy life (of things you want to do) when your body is telling you to go to bed at 8 pm and not get up until 8 am. Sorry.. not possible. Most nights I don't even get to my homework until after 8 pm!

The good news is that there is a solution, that I love my life and want to keep going the way that I have been going, and am excited to get my energy levels back up! I have too many things to accomplish to slow down now!