Runners Woes

Its a long 8 hours at work when all I do is think about running.

I'm sitting at my desk resisting to read online articles about running or log in to forums and chat with other runners. I'm thinking about last night's run and looking forward to running tonight. The running app on my iPhone just informed me that I have run a total of 25.83 miles this month. This is the first month I have ever tracked the total distance that I've run and suddenly it seems like a vital statistic about my life. I immediately resolve to run at least 1 more mile this evening to get my monthly total over 26.2 and to run at least double that next month.

For most of my life my diet has consisted of fast food, junk food, and at least one salad a day to stay healthy. Since I started running four years ago I have become more and more aware of how food affects my energy levels as I get ready for my next marathon or 5K run. For the past month I have been living on apples, bananas, carrots, salad, eggs, chicken, fish, toast, rice, pasta and bread. Every time I think about eating I am only concerned with how it is going to help me run farther and faster.

I am supposed to be reviewing this design document but unable to focus on it when another running website keeps e-mailing me about upcoming marathons. I can pretend to work if I go down the hall and talk to the server administrator to see if he is running in the Valentines Day 10K that my wife and I have signed up for.

I have always taken pride in my ability to avoid becoming addicted to things like cigarettes, drugs, or sports but it seems that I have finally found a habit that I cannot shake nor do I want to. There is a local support group called the Steel City Road Runners that is comprised of many others who share my obsession but the only treatment they provide is to run distances from one to 26.2 miles.

Would it be odd if I posted a picture of my new running shoes on my cubicle wall?