And just like that, January is in the rear view mirror! We currently sit around 19 weeks out from Western States and from a training standpoint things are moving along well. My training load is still relatively light, with my weekly mileage checking in at around 50 miles per week. Most of my workouts are incorporating some sort of hill training - either multiple repeats on short, steep hills outside or longer "hiking" sessions on the treadmill at 12% incline or more. Add a couple days of strength training, a weekend long run of around 15-20 miles, a day of rest here and there, and voila! You have my off-season training regimen. 

While things have been a little easier on the training side, I've been given to reflect on other important dimensions of my upcoming summer adventure. Namely, what is God trying to teach me through this? Could it be humility? Trust? Dependence upon His grace and providence? The value of suffering? While I don't generally make an outward show of my return to the Church after many years away (that subject is probably an entire post unto itself), I cannot but help but view this opportunity through the prism of my recent "reversion" experiences and appreciate that things are happening at this time in particular. It's pretty cool to see the proverbial stars line up when considering events through such a lens.

Having said that, I am also reflecting on how utterly self-obsessive this undertaking is going to be. Between the costs of the four events themselves, "training" races, travel arrangements, coaching, gear, and shoes, it goes without saying that this is an expensive proposition. Beyond that, the time required to train and recover is extensive and will require a great deal of patience and support from my friends and family. I'm blessed to have a fantastic "support system" but it still gives me pause from time to time as I consider what I am asking of others. So on a spiritual level, what lessons could I learn from this unfortunate reality?

[Insert Profound Spiritual Insight Here]

Well, I haven't come up with an adequate answer to that yet. All I can say is that I am certain that there ARE insights and lessons that will manifest themselves along the way. At some point I would like to chronicle some of the parallels that I have come to recognize between my running life and my fledgling spiritual life. (Don't expect profundity. That's not my thing.) I do believe that through running, God has prepared me to return to life in the Spirit and to accept the burdens and challenges that come with it. (This might be one reason why the bible is so replete with running metaphors. I mean, if the shoe fits....)

So now I roll into February. Saint Sebastian, patron of runners, pray for me!