I struggled with most of my runs this week with the exception of my 'no-watch, smell the roses' run. It took the majority of my will power to actually go out and run my scheduled miles. Every time I made the decision to go run, it was with the promise that it would make me feel better. Running always makes me feel better regardless of how I feel before starting. I can't say that was the case on all my runs this week. This was a bit disconcerting to me.
After thinking about my lack of energy and motivation, I came to the conclusion that part of the problem may be that I'm starting to run longer distances. I'm slowly coming to accpet the truth of what my heart has been trying to tell me ever since I did my first 5K... I don't like running long distances. My favorite races are the 5K and 10K distances. I like to push hard and be done. After running my first 5K, I felt like I had found the distance that was made just for me. The 10K distance left me with a similar feeling. This weekend I have a 9-10 miler to do. I'm only slightly looking forward to it but it's mostly because I love to accomplish the goals I set for myself and not because I like to run that long.
Afte this half marathon, I may just stick to shorter distances. There is a part of me that is tempted to continue training and do a full marathon in the fall. I realize that this temptation comes from the part of myself that constantly pushes to achieve more and not necessarily the part of me that strives for doing only those things that stay true to who I am. It is possible that there is a marathoner hiding inside of me waiting to be discovered. I was reading that between the ages of 20-40 we are figuring out who we really are. If this is true, I have 10 years to figure out what kind of runner I am.
For now, I get great joy from doing my speed and tempo workouts. It is these workouts that bring back the excitement of running. I'm glad I scheduled my speed run on Friday. After I finished, I felt like my running week had been redeemed and the little flame that keeps me running started burning brighter. I ran 3 miles in 24:39 today!! There are 11 days left in this 30 day resolution and I'm pretty confident I will make my goal time of 24:30. I may even do it faster! Wohoo!!!
Have you ever tried listening to audiobooks while running the longer distances? I listen to them whenever I run by myself and don't care about speed. I've trained to the Chronicles of Narnia, Jane Austen, Little Women, or anything else that makes me feel like someone is telling me a fabulous story. Keeps my mind occupied.
ReplyDeleteGood work on the quick legs though! That's awesome! Sounds like you'll be ready to kill your time goals at the Lincoln.
No, I haven't run with audio books but am definitely interested! I'll have to get one for my 10 miler coming up. Kuddos to you as well for all the running you're doing! I enjoy reading your blog and feeling a connection with you even though we're so far away from each other. You're going to do great in San Diego because you've built such a great foundation before even starting your "actual training". Looking forward to see how that goes!
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