Here are some
who like to run.
They run for fun
in the hot, hot sun.
I think I should have contests and give out special prizes. If I did I would have a "name that book" contest and give a really awesome and meaningful prize to the first one to tell me where this verse came from.
(And by "awesome and meaningful" I mean "delicious and fattening".)
It's race week at our house and this little verse has been pounding through my head.
Partly because I woke up to this:
Call me whiny, but it hardly seems fair that some really do get to run for fun in the hot, hot sun
while I still have to endure this...at the end of March.
But that's not all. I'm having another issue here. See that word, "fun"? That's my problem. I usually love to run and really do run for fun. But lately I feel like I have been training for a long time, and am here to boldly admit that I am a little tired of it. Especially since I got back from SoCal.
I just feel fresh outta fun.
I'd like to think that it has mostly to do with the weather. Too many days of no hot, hot sun. In fact, months on end of no sun at all.
Maybe even years.
But it just might be more than that. For all you runners out there (and if you can walk to the fridge and back that counts), here is a small list of my immediate running grievances.
1. No sun. Really. This is a super big one for me. The lack of sunshine leaves me lethargic and stubbornly interferes with my motivation.
2. No sun + cold. I do not enjoy running in the cold. It leaves my muscles stiff and tired. It's hard to get out the door and I come home chilled.
3. No sun + cold + sun & warmth for a day + no sun + cold again. Honestly, I did okay with the cold and gray running for awhile. But after one unseasonably warm day in February there was no going back. And I've hardly been able to get my foot out the door since. As for the treadmill? Well, I've pushed myself to do it, but I haven't liked it. At all.
4. My last long training run was hard...and slow...and miserable. And discouraging.
So, now what? On Saturday I have a half marathon that I don't want to run. I have even trained for a goal time, and it's the best course I'll race this year to reach that goal.
But I have No. Desire. To. Run.
None.
Nada.
Zip.
This is entirely new territory for me!
Clearly, I am in a rut. A big, fat, sloppy, cold rut.
And now I am not only looking for, but actually soliciting advice. I can hear The Man gasp about this from 20 miles away.
So, even if you don't run I know there are different things in your life that you do for fun. But sometimes you still get in a rut about them, right? (Please say I'm right.)
So the question is this:
How do you get yourself back to that fun thing being fun again, especially when you need it to be the most?
Please, share this around as much as you can. Because I need HELP!
And I only have 4 days, 10 hours, 15 minutes, and 32 seconds to figure it out...
I usually take a little break from the "fun" and then get right back on the wagon! I suppose you do not really have time to take a break. Just maybe skip the run tomorrow because it will be 15 degrees warmer the next day!
ReplyDeleteI change it up a little bit. I switch to a different sewing project which is what I do for fun. I know it's not easy to find the motivation at times.
ReplyDeleteCan't answer the second question, only the first - "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish". Now I'm looking for something awesome and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteGood luck finding your fun-running groove again. Love you,
Rewards! For every day you train/run including the day of The Run, reward yourself with one lunch out per week with a chosen friend who had a great idea on how to get through this! *Yes, I would be one!* So now you're not running just for fun, but also for a fun lunch with *insert name here*! As it turns out, I'm available next Monday, Thursday or Friday for your first reward lunch!
ReplyDeleteKam, I think you will be OK. Have you checked the weather forecast for Saturday? You will wake up joyful and ready to rip! And you will have fun again. And I love you!
ReplyDeleteBecki-you are awesome. :-)
ReplyDeleteMom-good luck. I don't run. I don't run because it's not fun. Although sometimes I jog, and it hurts but it feels good. I'm currently searching for the same motivation you are but to do any sort of exercise.
Sitting on the couch blogging and eating chocolate sounds so much more enticing than exercising. Especially when it's cold and cloudy outside.
Personally I prefer Fox in Socks, but you can never go wrong with Dr. Seuss. My answer to running in the ice and snow: track spikes. Something to think about...
ReplyDeleteI'm like that with the winter weather in Denver. It just seems like the cold will never end. Sometimes we even get snow here until MAY!! So when I'm almost at my wits end, it finally becomes summer. The best thing I started doing is getting away during spring break to give me a mental break from the endless cold. You just did get away, but some times that does make going back to the cold even tougher.
ReplyDeleteI agree that giving yourself rewards for reaching your goals is probably the best motivator. Hang in there, the warm weather (and sunny days) is just around the corner! Then, after the race, maybe you could do a different type of exercise for a few weeks before you go back to running again to give yourself a little variety in your training.
Try a different scene? Come run on my side of the town to change it up.
ReplyDeleteps I grew up in so cal and I love the weather here! I loved that I got to see the beautiful white covered earth one last time before spring is in full swing. I love spring too! for all the colors it brings!I love the summer as long as I can swim.:)
Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Usually if I've hit a road block I need a goal or a deadline to motivate me. But you have that... If that fails, I usually look for company in my misery, because everything becomes more fun with a friend along.
ReplyDeleteI am so with you about the weather. I'm happy that at least it snowed! Because cold and gray without snow is pointless. It's been a long winter. Last week spoiled me. I put away the boots and everything. GRRRR.
Good Luck Saturday!
I used to that book memorized!! I read it sooo much when my older ones were little. I should probably be reading to the other little ones. I wish I could run I would rather walk. But good luck to you and others.
ReplyDeleteGive yourself permission to NOT run these next four days. Indulge your taper and know you've done all the training you can. It's time to relax and trust.
ReplyDeleteOn race day, simply smile. Have faith in the strength of your legs and think back to the runs that have made you giddy with excitement. Breathe deeply and fully and release any expectations about time or distance or enjoyment.
Just run. Once foot placed in front of the other. You've got this. :)