Today’s my birthday. And in keeping with my own ritual, I made it a point to start a new year on the planet with a run (3.46 miles, to be exact). After lots of time off to get past plantar fasciitis–and a new pair of running shoes–I’ve been slowly easing my way back into running.

And let me be honest: while I’m glad to be pounding the pavement, again, running sucks, right now. For all the cross training, I feel like I’m starting back at square one as a runner. All the progress I’d made towards lowering my mile time? Gone. The momentum fitness, etc. I started the year with? Over.

So now I get to kick off another year of life by starting over. It’s not fun, and the heat and humidity don’t help. But, what other options do I have at this point, right?