What I last called obsession, I know call a healthy habit.

I know now that the reality is that I really like to run and I genuinely miss it on the days I rest.  I wonder if, after a while, your body gets accustomed to burning a lot of energy on runs and actually expects it to happen.  That would explain why I tend to feel antsy and impatient on rest days.  My body is gearing up and I’m giving it no outlet.  I’m certain I’m driving my wife crazy on those rest days.

I’m now at a point where I can run 5 miles without really feeling like I’m extending very much.  Since I’ve decided to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon on May, I need to begin to build up mileage to get prepared for that pounding.  I running a little over 20 miles a week now, which looks to be smack dab in the middle of most of the half-marathon training schedules I’ve seen.  So in a sense, I’m ahead of the game since I wouldn’t be expected to be at that level until roughly 5 weeks before the race (which is in May).

Over the past month, I’ve spent a good deal of time on DailyMile, a social networking site for runners and other endurance athletes.  I find it incredibly inspiring to see others running far longer, far faster than I am.  I also get a great deal of satisfaction slowly creeping up on some of them as I make progress in my own running.  It’s also been a great place to ask rookie questions of people who have been there many times before.  One of the reasons I love running is that it’s a pretty solitary endeavor, however, being part of a community working toward common, yet individual goals is also very gratifying.