….or annoying Cousin Eddie, I have returned.  I just couldn’t stay away, my friends.  Life has calmed down a smidge since we last talked, and I’ve really, really missed our late night chats.  This has been the best form of therapy I’ve ever found, so, with your permission, I’d like to continue.

As the weather improves, I’m slowly increasing my running mileage once again.  These past two months have included a bunch of frustrating treadmill runs and a five-pound weight gain that just will NOT go away.  My friend, Kirsten, says that the five pounds proves I’m really a runner now (can’t run as fast or as many miles outside as usual).  I really want to agree with her, but since I can’t put down the bag of chocolate chips that appears to be attached to my hand every evening, I’m thinking it might be something else.   My sister has always told me that if I want to lose weight, I better do it before I turn 40, because after that, your metabolism turns to shit.  (Hence my 45-pound weight loss 3 years ago.)  Yet with 40 looming on the horizon, I feel like I need to start calorie-counting again or just laying off the damn chocolate.  But I really do not want to do either….so how about I run more instead?

Unfortunately, my veins have something to say about my running.  Today I received my date of surgery for the removal of some of my varicose veins.  It’s not a big deal, really. In fact, I’ve had a similar surgery 10 years ago.  Basically, one vein the surgeon heats to close it down, and the others she actually removes pieces of the veins.  I can go back to work within a few days after the procedure and am required to walk every day, but no running for at least two weeks.  At that point, I have to start out slow and just see how much pain I can tolerate.

I’m not that worried about the surgery. In fact, I’m a little excited to have three days off in a row!  I know, I know, that sounds pathetic.  I think it means I need a vacation, but that will have to wait.  What really concerns me is taking the few weeks off from running.  I like that I HAVE to walk.  That means that I won’t be out of shape in that two weeks, but I’m already wondering how long it will take me to build my mileage back up?  I’m hoping, hoping, hoping to be back up to 9 miles just before the surgery. (I WILL run a half-marathon this year!!)  So after the two weeks are up and I seem able to run again, do I just try a few miles every other day and hope for 5 or 6 miles that weekend?  Or just do three?  I know that my doctor and a majority of my running friends will say, “Listen to your body and it will tell you what to do.”  I’m sorry, but I’m so not good at that!  I can listen to anyone else and can truly *hear* them.  But myself?  I typically misinterpret what my body says and either end up hurting or just get irritated at myself for not pushing harder.

So what’s a girl to do?  Since I still have another 4 weeks before my surgery, I guess I’ll just keep adding up the miles, as long as my body holds out, and hope to at least burn off those damn 5 pounds.  Then maybe I’ll eat just one more handful of chocolate chips.  Or maybe two….