Hitting the Wall

I’m really good at composing my posts while on the run. Lately, it’s been hard to put them into actuality.

Andy and I both hit a wall in running where we were a bit sick of running every day, which translated into I didn’t feel like posting either. But, I promised to post the good and the bad, so here I am, kicking my butt.

We got over that feeling, by the way.

Despite being sick of running for awhile, we’ve managed to reach our time goals for almost all of our runs, which is encouraging.

So my question, to runners and non-runners alike, how do you overcome the mental blocks you have?

 

The good, the bad, the ugly. Small steps.

Things that (probably) work:

• Running on a day that I don’t work
• Days Off
• Drinking enough water (to stay hydrated)
• Drinking enough milk (to avoid shin splits)
• Eating enough (to keep energy)
• Running with the ol’ iPod
• Ice packs

Things that (probably) don’t work:

• Working 4 jobs a day and trying to train
• Not getting enough sleep
• Not eating enough
• Drinking coffee or soda

I’m figuring out more what works and doesn’t work with my training.  I don’t want this blog to simply be me being all positive about running.  My experience is not always going to be positive, so the blog is track my learning, the good and the frustrating. It’s hard getting used to running every day, especially on days I work. I think transitioning between jobs every two hours throughout the day mentally exhausts me by the time I need to run, and therefore can’t clear my mind as well (without the iPod?).

Talking to a co-trainer today, she said that the frustrating/hard weeks and feel-good weeks go in cycles.  That’s good to know, knowing that it won’t always be frustrating.

 

Look up. It gets longer, but easier. Lift your knees.

Day 3 – 70 degrees

The best advice I’ve found so far is talking to be people who are either currently training (because that means I’m not alone) or will be candid about their training experiences. The runs haven’t been too tough, but I’ve been sore on top of getting used to a new work schedule and not getting enough sleep this week, so my enthusiasm has been of varying levels this week.

But each day that I accomplish a run, I know I’m closer to the marathon (CHEESY!) and that makes me proud.