Week 14 – 12 miles.

An “easy” run comparatively, but truthfully, my heart just hasn’t been in it this week. I’m hoping that maybe I’m just hitting another wall that will pass and not make the last 4 weeks feel like an eternity. Even the shorter runs are feeling like they are taking extra energy, and I’m noticing that I’m running slower. That’s not a bad thing, really, just that it means I’m having to push myself a little more.

I really wanted to skip this run. I had more than a few “want to throw in the towel” moments. It seems silly. I’ve run this distance a bunch of times before. I’m only 4 weeks away from race day. I’m only one long run away, but something recently has just had me feeling less than motivated. At this point, I think the only thing that kept me running was sheer force of habit. Its Saturday. I get up. I run a long run. That’s how it goes. And so I got up and I ran. Sometimes, difficult things are easier to tackle, and sometimes difficult things are just….difficult.

And the run went well all things considered. I got to wear my new shoes (woo hoo!). I finished in 2 hours, didn’t have alot of “ow” moments and kept myself entertained listening to my audiobook. That audiobook has actually come in handy. I’ve found myself listening to it on my short runs too. It’ll never win over actually sitting and reading one. There is something about listening to one that creates alot of “geez can we just find out what happened already???” moments (maybe the abdridged version would have been better after all) because you can’t listen to a book as fluidly as you can read one, but overall it was a really good idea. (Thanks Jenna!)

Anyway, I digressed a bit.

Even with the run over, I still find myself feeling a bit discouraged. I suspect that its not all related to running , but it doesn’t help. I need the motivation back for next week, which currently seems extra daunting (also silly, since its only one mile more than I ran last week). I’m kinda dreading the short runs next week, and really dreading next weekends’ 20 miler. I knew going into this it wasn’t going to be all fun and games,but there is alot of truth to the phrase “running is a mental sport”. If your head isn’t in it, your legs don’t wanna be in it, either. (the feet go on strike, too)

On the plus side, at a neighborhood gift exchange yesterday I won the most awesome mug ever:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On the left, my coffee is exposed to the frosty, 70 degree open air. And on the right? Kept perfectly warm, thanks to snowman head with his cool top hat.

Can’t get any cooler than that.

No, you can’t.

Because I’m a crazy creature of habit and I know in the end it’ll be worth it, I’ll keep lacing up my shoes and heading outside with my ipod and “can’t we just find out what happened already?” audiobook. However, if anyone sees my motivation lying around somewhere (perhaps it jumped off and ran away after the umptheenth mile), I’d be grateful!

And, because I have to have at least SOMETHING funny in even a serious post, a picture: