I don’t want to get too bold or boastful here, but I think I am making a comeback. The athletic world has, I’m certain, long awaited news of my return to regular runs of short distance at a slow-to-middling pace. My mid-pack race finishes and unremarkable training reports have been sorely missed, I have to assume. Well, world, wait no longer!

Last week I finished my physical therapy. I still have to continue the strengthening regime on my own, but I don’t have to go in to see my therapist anymore. I’m free to begin re-building my running endurance. This week, I had three runs at three miles each, all of them pain free, with no need for stopping or walking. I haven’t been able to do that since before injury struck in January. I’m still much slower than I used to be, and I’ll need to get accustomed once again to running longer distances, pushing the pace, and embracing the hills. This will all come in time; I’m not worried. Let me tell you, slow as I may be, it feels amazing!

I had a great weekend of other activity, too, with a 90-minute yoga session on Saturday and a long-for-me bike ride today. A new yoga studio opened in town and I plan to try it out next month (when regular paychecks resume), but for now I’m using the P90X yoga video I copied from a friend. It’s a pretty challenging practice and I could sure feel the results of yesterday’s work when I woke up this morning — I love that delightfully sore feeling in my abs, butt, arms, and shoulders.

Today’s bike ride was a major improvement over my last ride two weeks ago: today I felt strong and able to push the pace the whole way through. I did not need to request a break at the top of a hill on the suspicion I was about to puke. There were a couple of long, grinding inclines, but I didn’t let them get to me too much. I can tell I still don’t have the speed or endurance I had before injury took me out of the game for the first six months of the year, but I can also tell it’s coming back. We rode 17 miles today (up from my first short test ride of just 5 miles earlier this summer), and I’ll be ready to be riding 20 next week, and then more.

Relatedly, did I mention I am seriously saving for a road bike, starting with the first paycheck of the year? It’s something I’ve always wanted to buy, but things always get in the way. Last summer, I had the money, but I spent it on a washer and dryer, which I in no way regret doing (I LOVE my washer and dryer!), but it meant no road bike. This year, my major financial goals involve just three things: save money for summer (with a teacher’s nine-month salary, saving ahead for summer is always a necessity), pay off the dog surgery bills, and save for a road bike. I’m looking at my monthly budget, and I’ll be deciding on a plan and automating the payments and savings deposits so that my goals will simply happen while I sit back and watch. It feels good to have a plan.

With all this going so well, I’m excited for what this year could hold. Stay tuned.