Ch-ch-ch-chaaaanges

Every time I sit down to write something, it ends up sounding really morose and negative. Since many people tell me that I already write like I talk, I'm concerned that I'm becoming a huge downer. I think it has a lot do with job dissatisfaction and some injuries that are plaguing my runs, but there are times where I find myself in a deep, dark, uncool funk that is so unlike me.

My Year in Running

2013 was the year I decided to start running more seriously after a decently long hiatus (something close to five years). Instead of running a few miles maybe once a week to make sure that I still remembered how to put one foot in front of the other (In case you are wondering, I never forgot how.) I just started...increasing my mileage, little by little, just as many running experts would advise you to do.

To be clear, by "increasing my mileage," I mean "running longer than one mile and doing it without stopping" because running one mile WITH stopping was basically my M.O. this time last year. Yes, ONE YEAR AGO, I could not run one mile without stopping and hating my life.

Treadmill Troubles

So, one time I deployed for six months. I know, that is kind of a big deal and I should have mentioned it sooner, but I was too busy eating Oreos. For the most part, it was a great experience. I really had a lot of fun in a war torn country that is full of people who shit in the same water they drink regularly. I worked with amazing people and learned a lot about myself. I realized I'm not nearly as tough as expected, but that that's an OK thing and I can still tolerate a lot of bull crap when it matters.