Holy crap, folks. It's been a while.
Last time I posted, I was getting ready for another Miles for Missions project for the month of November, the proceeds going toward my mission trip to Guatemala in June of 2014. Even though it's usually one of the best months for running in the whole year (weather-wise), I only logged an anemic 56.75 miles in November.
I have a lot of excuses for why November was so pitiful. For one, the weather was terrible. Cold rain and drizzle more days than not. And I feel like I've been fighting off a head cold for three months: nasal drainage and sore throat do not for a pleasant run make.
Then again, these are excuses. I could have hit the treadmill (as much as a despise it) to simply log a few miles and keep in shape. I could have used the stationary bike as a cross-training exercise. I could have done something. But I didn't, and I lost what should have been a phenomenal month, not just for my running but for Miles for Missions.
Short aside: Thanks to the people who stepped up and sponsored me this month! It means so much that you'd be willing to put your hard-earned cash on the line, especially during the holiday season (when dispensable income is so scarce). I sincerely appreciate it, and I'll be sending you pictures from Guatemala.
Aside over.
With November solidly behind me, I look to December to make up for my missed opportunities. It hasn't started out well: I missed the only half marathon I signed up for this fall, the Christmas on the Country Music Highway Half Marathon because of snow and ice storms. Which leaves me without a race until the end of March.
And here I am, on my 31st birthday, wondering if I'm even going to be able to run a half this spring, much less the Flying Pig Marathon this May. All because of missed opportunities.
If there's one thing I have learned over the last few months and years, its that life isn't really linear; it's more like a record, spinning ever so slowly. The needle will eventually get to almost the same place on a record after a full revolution, but it doesn't exactly sound the same. Sure, there are patterns in the rotation, and it's pretty easy to tell sometimes how long it will take the needle to get back around to a familiar place on the black vinyl. But it's not going to sound the same.
I've gotten into vinyl lately. The metaphor seemed solid.
In my 31 years, I've pissed away many things. Mostly time. And, most regrettably, opportunities. And most regrettably among the most regrettable are the times when others have depended on me. I realize that it's not the end of the world if I didn't raise a lot of money for my Guatemala trip, since the trip is still a few months off and there will be other fund raising opportunities. But it is simply a reminder of the time I waste, the chances I could have had, if I had only taken some initiative.
Obviously, there will always be opportunities in this life we miss. Missed opportunities notwithstanding, there will always be things out of our control that create legitimate reasons to miss chances (I swear I have been fighting the same head cold for three months now. Thanks, Obamacare! <sarcasm>). But I've done a lot of growing over the last few years, what with all the drastic changes my life has taken. I still make excuses for many things, but they're getting fewer.
With some effort, I'll stop making excuses in all aspects of my, beginning with running.
See you all later this month. I'm in no way done with December.
