I'VE LOST MY RUNNING FEELING

Top Gun is one of my favorite movies.

There are SO many great quotes (several listed below for your enjoyment and mine), scenes, and life lessons in the movie. One of my favorite scenes, pictured here, is when Maverick and Goose sing You've Lost That Loving Feeling in a bar to gain the attention of a pretty lady, who turns out to be an instructor at the Top Gun training school. I've known every word to the song for years - because I've watched the movie too many times to count.





Lately, however, I've been singing my own version of the song. It goes a little something like this...

I've lost my running feeling. Wow... my running feeling.

I've lost my running feeling and it's now gone, gone, gone.

Wow-wow-wow...

I ran last Monday (a great 4.5 miler) and haven't been out since. Sure I've been busy and distracted, but no more than normal. In all honesty, things have actually slowed down. I'm finally reteaching a course, which means no new course prep this semester. I have two sections of the same class, which means the same lesson plans each week. I've decreased my service responsibilities at work in order to focus on my individual and student priorities and this has freed up a lot of my time. But I'm still finding excuses not to run.

Running is a discipline. It is easy to get out of practice and lose your running feeling. On the other hand, it is H-A-R-D to get back in the routine of running. 

All weekend I've been standing at a crossroads... If I head in one direction, I will lose my running feeling for the spring and try to get back into it when marathon season begins in the early summer. Or I could head in the other direction and work on building the discipline again. Doing so would mean competing in the two half marathons I'm signed up for this spring and using my gym membership at school.

Today is the day to get out of the crossroads. 

And I chose to run.

After researching how to get my running groove back, I am determined to do the following:

1. Run at least 1 mile every day starting today and ending with the DC Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon on March 16. I'm not going to try to PR at this race. Honestly, there is no way that I can based on my lack of training to date, but I am going to run the race with confidence; knowing that I am in the middle of a running streak.
2. Follow these simple 8 tips for finding your running groove. Specifically, starting slow, listening to my body, being present, and incorporating yoga (or other cross training) into my routine.

Here's to 27 days of running - between now and the RnR half marathon...

Hopefully after a successful streak and a half marathon my days of singing about my lost running feeling will be replaced with something more inspiring. And I'll be in the groove and ready to PR at the Pittsburgh half marathon in May.

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Favorite Top Gun quotes:

-- Maverick & Goose: I feel the need... the need for speed.

-- Goose: The plaque for the alternates is in the lady's room.

-- Stinger: Maverick, you just did an incredibly brave thing. What you should have done was land your plane! You don't own that plane, the tax payers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!

-- Stinger: And if you screw up just this much, you'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog sh*t out of Hong Kong!

-- Goose: Great balls of fire!

-- Viper: You'll pick up your RIO when you get to the ship, and if you don't, give me a call. I'll fly with you.

-- Viper: Gentlemen, you are the top 1 percent of all naval aviators. The elite. The best of the best. We’ll make you better …