Running on Apathy

Headed for the finish line at the John Wilt Foundation 5K last October

I am not loving running as of late. I am supposed to be training for a half marathon on Mother's Day and I was initially very excited about it, but now I'm kind of "meh".

It could be because I have been unable to run regularly. Over the past several weeks, snow days, sick kids, and other factors have prevented me from sticking to a schedule, and I've only been able to get a couple runs in per week.

I've also been feeling really slow. I have been way behind everyone else in my run club, and running in the back by yourself can be rather demoralizing. I run a heck of a lot faster than I used to (I went from averaging a 12 to 12:30 minute mile to 10 to 10:30), but I run with some gazelles! (For anyone in my run club reading this, I hope you know I don't resent you for being fast and I am in fact very happy for you.)

I know I've been tired. I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in a long time. The baby was sick for a week and she hasn't been sleeping well ever since. Hopefully this will change soon!

I'm not eating carbs like I used to. It's been slightly more than two weeks since I changed my diet and my body is still adjusting. Maybe I need to cave and eat a bowl of oatmeal before my next run. (Although I did have a good run after eating a breakfast of eggs, spinach, cottage cheese, and an orange.)

Then there is the fact that a large component of running is psychological. The more weightlifting resources I read, the more I think that long-distance running is too much cardio, and something the human body is not designed for. It kind of makes me wonder why I'm doing it! To prove that I can? I feel like I've already proved I can do a lot of things. I would have never dreamed I could run six miles, so why do I feel a need to more than double that?

This is not to say I'm giving up on exercise - far from it! Exercise is important for my health and happiness. And while I'm no longer sure I'll be getting up at 5:00 in the morning on Mother's Day to run 13 miles, I'm not giving up on running for now. After I pick up the kids from school, I'm heading to the gym - nothing like logging a few miles on the treadmill to renew a love for running, eh? ;)