Lack of Enthusiasm
I’ve been thinking about my running a lot lately. For whatever reason, I’m just not very motivated. I’ve been logging all my miles and hitting my scheduled workouts, but I just don’t have any enthusiasm for it. Almost every time I head out for a run I have to drag myself through the door. Running is supposed to be a fun activity, not a second job. I’m not saying it should be easy. The challenge of nailing a hard workout is part of what I enjoy about running. I just want to regain that feeling of looking forward to a workout. I’m guessing my listlessness is probably because I’ve been training for a race or building mileage since July 2005. After my race at the end of October, I’ll take a short, much-needed break from running.
Looking ahead to next year, I’d like to make a more serious run at the Navy Marathon team. I’m looking at running Napa again (first weekend in March), and then running either Sunburst or the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. Both are held the first weekend in June. I’d prefer to run Sunburst, but finances may force me back to Rock ‘n Roll. Anyway, if I can run a sub-1:25:00 half and sub-3:00:00 at Napa and Sunburst/Rock ‘n Roll, I’ll feel pretty good about my application.
One area I need to work on is adapting the rest of my life to match my running lifestyle. As of now, I don’t make any real effort to eat as healthy as I should, and I don’t think about my running schedule before eating (eating more carbs the night before long runs, cutting calories during cutback weeks, etc.). I also really need to pay more attention to my sleeping habits. Last night I only got six hours, and I rarely get as much as seven hours during the week. I have been pretty good about staying hydrated.
This week is a cutback week, and I’ve cut back more than what I listed on my schedule. But, it doesn’t really matter; the point is to end the week rested, recovered, and ready to move forward. Anyway, I’ll still be in the neighborhood of 50 miles for the week. I took Sunday off, ran an easy five on Monday, and another easy five at lunch yesterday. Yesterday after work I headed out for a second run. After the easy days, I felt pretty good, so I included four miles at half marathon goal pace (6:29). I ended up averaging less than seven minute miles for the entire 7.5 miles.
Looking ahead to next year, I’d like to make a more serious run at the Navy Marathon team. I’m looking at running Napa again (first weekend in March), and then running either Sunburst or the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. Both are held the first weekend in June. I’d prefer to run Sunburst, but finances may force me back to Rock ‘n Roll. Anyway, if I can run a sub-1:25:00 half and sub-3:00:00 at Napa and Sunburst/Rock ‘n Roll, I’ll feel pretty good about my application.
One area I need to work on is adapting the rest of my life to match my running lifestyle. As of now, I don’t make any real effort to eat as healthy as I should, and I don’t think about my running schedule before eating (eating more carbs the night before long runs, cutting calories during cutback weeks, etc.). I also really need to pay more attention to my sleeping habits. Last night I only got six hours, and I rarely get as much as seven hours during the week. I have been pretty good about staying hydrated.
This week is a cutback week, and I’ve cut back more than what I listed on my schedule. But, it doesn’t really matter; the point is to end the week rested, recovered, and ready to move forward. Anyway, I’ll still be in the neighborhood of 50 miles for the week. I took Sunday off, ran an easy five on Monday, and another easy five at lunch yesterday. Yesterday after work I headed out for a second run. After the easy days, I felt pretty good, so I included four miles at half marathon goal pace (6:29). I ended up averaging less than seven minute miles for the entire 7.5 miles.
posted by Bart at 9:49 AM
2 Comments:
Bart, I think we all go through that lack of motivation phase. I find you can't force your way out of it.
However, have you considered jumping in a shorter race or two? You've put in some solid training but haven't really reaped any rewards. Get out there in a 5k or 10k and enjoy your hardwork. A PR can be a great motivator.
Thanks for the reply. Basically, I took a guilt-free, non-scheduled day off, and I feel much better. However, I think I'm going to have to run through a few down times over the six weeks between now and my half marathon. Hopefully I'll get my batteries recharged by taking a couple of weeks off in early November.
I will be racing a 5K this weekend. I should be rested and am looking to get below the 19 minute mark.
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