Real David H.

I’m not really sure how a quarter of a year has passed without blogging … oh wait …

Yes, I do. 

Since my last post in May, my wife and I had baby No. 3, my schedule has changed a bit at work, I’ve gotten very little sleep, it’s summer and the other kids don’t want to go to bed … so yeah, I’ve had no time to blog.

Through it all, though, I have continued to run. In fact, my mileage increased oh-so slightly for three straight months in May, June and July. 

August, however, will see that streak end as I have grown weary of the heat and humidity. 

I’ve continued to lift weights about twice a week. I wish I was lifting a little heavier and a little bit more often, but it’s not horrible. 

So, to sum up things since my last post when it comes to why I blog … things are decent. Not great, not horrible. Better than a year ago, for sure, and better than the first couple of months of the year. 

As things shift around in my life, my wife and I signed up to return to the Surf ‘n’ Santa 5-Miler in December in Virginia Beach. That’ll be my first race at the beach in nearly three years; it’ll be the first race my wife has done in four years. 

While I’m not giving up on August just yet, I’m really looking at Sept. 1 as a day to kick off some more focused running again, especially to close off the final 1/3 of what’s been a really strange year with running. 

It’s also a good time to help my wife start doing some walk/runs and build up to 5 miles. 

My goal would be to focus on really racing this event. I’m tired of running a one-pace, slow-slugfest every time I’m out there. I need a few months to improve on shorter distances and remember that feeling of going fast.

Plus I just want to race and give it 100% again … that just hasn’t happened in seemingly forever. 

And, in addition to training for this race, I’ll be training at a time of the year that’s usually been a downfall for me.

Getting through Halloween and Thanksgiving are a big-time struggle with eating and being lazy, so I’m really looking at this as training for being in better overall shape by Christmas and in a good place heading into 2019.

If I happen to go 3 months without blogging again, don’t worry — I’m still around. And if that happens, I’ll be just a few weeks away from racing again …