With Huntsville, AL in the rearview, I've got my sights set on the Derby Festiival Marathon in Louisville, KY. Kentucky is the birth place of bourbon, the mint julep, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and home to the Kentucky Derby. While technically a southern state, Louisville is at the top of the state straddling the good old Midwest. With Indiana being just a few miles away, I'll get a second chance at finding the coveted Zombie Dust by 3 Floyd's Brewery. 

I've had one full month of training under my belt. The ankle injury I sustained after the Rocket City Marathon is trying to creep its way back into my life. Today, the very last day of January, less than half a mile out my back just spazzes out. I try my best to run through it a few times, but my back is just not having it. As I sit here and type this now, my back muscles have tightened up considerably, and it looks like I'm on IR for at least a week.  There goes my hopes and dreams for a smooth training season.

Maybe I'm getting too old for this. It has been almost 10 years since my first marathon in Vegas, and lately I just haven't been able to get back into a solid running groove. Injuries, colds, etc. just keep getting in the way.  

Something positive from this month though, I have been leaving my running watch at home. It hasn't been uploading my runs properly to Garmin Connect since August 2016, so I've just been leaving the damn thing at home. It's been really freeing to just go out and run and not be looking down at a stupid watch every few seconds. I have no idea what my pace/time is and I don't really care.

I'm taking the rest of the  week off from running, and I'm going to drown myself in McDonald's. Speaking of which, they just rolled out the Mac Trio, and the Grand Mac has my name written all over it.