Hi! It’s been a while. You know what that means. Darkness has descended upon Neon Runner Girl world.

Sometimes I wish we could take a step outside of our bodies and float a few feet above. Just to see the whole picture. I would probably end up grabbing my own shoulders and shaking them daily.

A sad sack of a Neon Runner Girl does no one any good. Just ask Mr. Neon who has had to put up with me for the last month.

Rehabbing the hip was at a low point just two weeks ago. I ran the Prairie Fire 5K probably a tad harder than I should have and dealt with a high level of pain again.

I went for my follow-up with the PA and made the decision to not run the Bill Snyder Highway Half. It was the third half marathon I missed in 2016. But I felt a release with that decision. When I finally gave my training plan a glance, I realized that Bill Snyder had been my B race. I gave myself two weeks off after it to rest, strength train, and get ready for my second round of training, which starts with an Olympic distance triathlon plan and ends with the second half of a half marathon training plan.

I can do that!! At the follow-up with the PA, I asked for a stronger anti-inflammatory. Ask and you share receive. I’ve been taking diclofenac for almost two weeks now and my hip pain is barely noticeable. Sure, it’s still tender after running, but nothing else aggravates it anymore. I’ve started doing PT exercises before running to activate my glutes and get them firing. Big difference! Mr. Neon and I have plans to add in core work to our regular sit in front of the TV and play on our phones nightly routine.

Speaking of Mr. Neon…

He ran the Bill Snyder Highway Half without me and totally crushed his goal. We’ve both been working towards a sub-2 hour half and HE DID IT! He ran a 1:58:01. So awesome! The boys and I were able to see him at miles 9,10,11, and 12 once he ran into town off the highway. I’m so proud of this guy.

And it proves to me that if he can do it, then I can do it. We’ve been training together through this whole journey, pushing each other, racing each other, and I just need to find that again. Find the drive to get faster, push through discomfort, get stronger.