So after a long layoff from posting and a shorter layoff from running, I'm back into both.
I took a month off of running from mid-December through mid-January when it became clear that serious training would be both miserable and yield no good results due to the hormone problems I had going on. At the time I did not know when I would be able to start running again, let alone training seriously, so I wrote off the entire winter and spring racing seasons. In mid-January I realized that I felt antsy and somewhat normal again; as normal as I could expect to feel without running.
I started jogging casually again without any goals sometime in January and once I felt comfortable that I could build up, albeit cautiously, I started logging again. Since then I've gradually increased mileage to the mid-70s and introduced workouts commensurate with my current fitness, being sure to never overdo it and take it easy when I felt like it. I am still not planning to force any gains.
One thing that I have noticed during workouts is that my cardiovascular fitness has remained considerably better than my muscular fitness. By that I mean that my legs get tired relatively easily and my cardio systems are under less stress than my legs. This is good as it keeps me from overtraining, but it has gotten frustrating because it has been so universal.
As far as racing plans go, I've emailed the race director of Broad Street (May 3rd). This is far enough away that I feel confident in my ability to get in pretty good shape, even running once a day as work dictates. I do not have any specific goals for mileage, but I hope to do enough to support workouts that are specific to prepare for Broad Street.
