Friday, September 19, 2008

Losing Motivation, Heading for Procrastination

What is that dude wearing, anyway?



So in case you couldn't tell by the umm...title...I'm hitting a low point in the running "career" again. I hate the spells I go through, and I imagine I'm not alone in this phenomenon. I am cognizant of the same "roller coaster" pattern in other areas of life--relationships, healthy eating, a certain hobby, etc. You have a lot of motivation for a few months to achieve a goal or you just get in "the mood" to do something at a higher frequency, but eventually, the motivation fades and you stop doing so well or stop putting so much energy into said aspect/activity. But within a few months, you're back at it again, doing good. It's that love/hate relationship that we all know so well! Speaking of, here's one of my favorite commercials from the NB line of love/hate advertisements:

New Balance "Bench"

I think part of my problem is that I haven't had any scheduled races since Spring...that's GOT to be it! I really need to stay focused and continue training so that I'll be ready in October. I have 3 races planned that month, no need to slack off right now! It's just hard for me right now since the job change and (not to make an excuse) my body is totally out of whack because of the change of schedule. I had my workout and all successive bodily functions at the same time every day. Now, my body is asking, "WTF are you doing getting up at 4:30? And you're not even running, you're just eating and going to work? Where's the RUN? DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" I miss running in the morning so badly. Now I have all day to talk myself out of it. :(

Anyhoo, I am excited for the next 5K, which will probably be the Race for the Cure. My last 5K was May 10 and I know my speed has improved since then, thanks to my hard work. I believe I'll set a new PR, but even if I don't, it will feel so good to get out there and race again after almost 5 months! I'm really looking forward to the Home Run 5 Miler at Bernheim Forest, it will be so beautiful there during that race!

Hey guys, feel free to give me a pep talk...I think I need it!

1 comment:

Some guy named John said...

Consider this a pep talk! Or, just a thought.

Actually, I can't even imagine going five months between races! Unless you're really exceptional, the psyche can't quite get a handle on a target that's more than a few weeks away. Even when I have just a few weeks between races, my subconscious tells me: "Oh, there's no need to train for that 5K in six weeks; I'll probably be dead by then." And so, I'll end up trying to cram a month's worth of running into the last two weeks when I realize that I'm still very much alive.

So, you're probably right that the lack of scheduled races is a big part of why you're in a bit of a running funk. And getting thrown off your daily schedule doesn't help, either. Good luck on getting the mojo back!