POST VACATION DOLDRUMS

Hit your runs or I'll shoot you in the face.

I'll preface this post by saying I didn't miss any runs and hit all my miles this last week (41 of them). So for that, I am very proud. I was, however, finding motivation hard. After getting back from my weeklong vacation late on Sunday night I went right back to work on Monday. No rest for the weary.

I was still sort of on East Coast time Monday so I actually got to work before 9am. It was a small miracle. The work day was then just a lot of catching up from being gone for a week. I had run group that evening at 6pm but skipped it to do something with Brandon (since I hadn't been there two straight weekends). I originally planned to do an easy three miles after hanging out with him but by the time I dropped him off and got home it was almost 10pm and I was still on East Coast time. So I crashed.

"Skipping" that run, even though it was only three miles, really bugged me. Tuesday was supposed to be my rest day but instead I woke up and ran three miles BEFORE work. I never thought I'd see the day. Still being sort of three hours ahead definitely helped out. So not only did I get three miles in, I also got to work on time. It was crazy. It relieved the guilt of skipping the run the night before though. That evening I had my last week of bowling league so there was no way I was getting in a run.

Wednesday I made it to run group for the first time in two weeks. It was fun to see everyone again. Hit 6.4 miles at an easy pace. The next night, Thursday, I didn't run until 9:30pm because I took Brandon to Wunderland (cheap arcade) since I was going to be gone that coming weekend (three in a row... oops). It would have been so easy to skip the run that night, but I pulled myself out for 6 miles even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. Even did a tempo run below 8:00/mile. It was dark and I wore my reflective gear. Reminded me that will be my life in about six weeks.

So despite being tired and unmotivated I was hitting all my runs. I feel so out of shape from my "easy" week during vacation and I have this sense of fear that I'm not in marathon shape at all. Those motivated me to hit a ten mile run on Friday. We got out of work early at 2pm for the holiday weekend and I took full advantage of that. I wasn't looking forward to ten miles at 7pm, but I could handle it at 3pm when I still had a lot of day left. So I was able to get ten miles in and also shop and pack for my camping trip that weekend.

More on that and my sixteen mile run along the Umpqua next post. I guess I'll also talk about pooping naked in a corn field too. Ask and ye shall receive.