Monthly Musings - Dog Days of August

I just realized that I started out the month with an Inspirations post as opposed to a Monthly Musings post. It took me two weeks to notice. 

Well, I think that basically sums up my current head-space. I will try to move forward and get over the fact that my blog is now imperfect. 

August training has gone pretty well. I've managed to keep up with the mileage, especially the big ramp-up to catch up with the team. Yesterday, I ran 14 miles. As of today, I'm officially back on the team schedule! 

I'm not sure if it is the summer heat, the yearly audit at work, or the intensity of the training, but I'm feeling a bit brain dead. 

I think the human body is only capable of exerting energy in one place. Right now, all of my intelligence is residing in my legs. And, all my legs want right now is food. I'm hungry all the time. Everyone says that marathon training is not the time to diet, but I think I'm taking that to the extreme.

Oh, and to top things off, I'm developing the skin of a 15 year old. 

The summer in NYC is unlike anywhere else. The concrete jungle turns into a giant oven, heating up the streets and bringing out their natural odors. The subway platforms are 100 degrees. And, every single place a dog, homeless person, or drunk has urinated becomes a magical scent surprise that you are forced to walk through. Trash days are the worst. It is essentially two-three months of feeling constantly unclean, no matter how many showers you take. And, I get to run a thousand miles through all of that!  

The first month of training was clearly the childhood phase. I was just learning to run again, going slowly and gingerly. Everything was new and exciting.

Now, I have bad skin, no brain, I'm angsty about the heat, I'm always hungry, and I'm awkwardly adjusting to the changes in my body. I've clearly entered the teenage hell of training.

"I would love to relive my teenage years," said nobody EVER. Hopefully, I will be in my college years by the time the next Monthly Musings post comes around. With the current disordered chaos of this blog's schedule, who knows when that will be.