Fitter, happier, more constructive

Change is funny. It can sneak up on you so gradually that you don't even notice it until all of a sudden it hits you and you think "Holy crap, when did I become this person?"

I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I find that lately I love running. I mean really love it. In fact, as much as someone like me can be passionate about anything, I would say I have actually become passionate about it. I mean, I always liked running, in the way that I "like" vegetables because they're good for me and all that, but let's be honest, if it provided the same vitamins and antioxidants, I'd choose dessert over vegetables any day. Somehow, running has transformed from the broccoli equivalent of exercise to the peanut butter cup sundae. I get excited about it, I look forward to it and after every run, I want more and more. I just want to keep going for as long and as far as I can.

Everything I see and hear and read gives me new ideas for places I want to go and things I want to do. (Insert Liz Lemon voice saying "I want to go to there.") I wish I could be a full-time explorer/adventurer.

And I think my inner monologue has become a surfer dude. The other day someone asked me what I was training for and I thought "Life, man." (Seriously? Who am I? Why does my head sound like a stoner?) Thankfully I caught myself in time and said "The half-marathon."

Update: I stopped wearing the expensive running shoes when my right hip and left knee started hurting. I can't be certain if the shoes caused the pain or if it's just the inevitable result of increased mileage, but I'm not taking any chances. I took some Ibuprofen, iced my hip with a bag of frozen berries I found in the freezer and bought a new pair of New Balance running sneakers from DSW for $30. I ran 13 miles in the New Balances on Saturday and my hip is feeling better, so I'm sticking with those shoes for the race.

Speaking of stoners...As if I needed any more TV shows to obsess over, I am now addicted to Weeds. I'm up to season 3 (Thanks, Netflix On Demand!). So Hilarious. I love it!

Lyric of the moment: "Oh, this is the start of something good, don't you agree? I haven't felt like this in so many moons, you know what I mean?"