Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Motivation

Sometimes it is so hard to find the motivation to run.  I know I need the miles, and to follow the plan, but this time of year is especially hard.  Gray day following gray day.  Cold and damp and windy.  And lots to do.

It's the to do list more than the weather that gets me.  Sometimes I feel like the only thing I can drop from my week is a run...or two...or all.  When life gets crazy, running tends to be what I ditch first.  Partially because I cannot run in the morning - really, can't, have to be up an hour before I run and that ain't happening on the week days.  So the only time I have to run is at night.  And when my weekends are full and my nights start to book up and I haven't seen my dad or my friends in ages.....the runs are the first thing to drop.

Right now with run group it is especially hard.  The group run starts at 6:30 and I get off work at 5:00.  So that is an hour and a half to waste before the run.  I like to get off work and go run before I sit down, because once I sit down and relax I'm toast.  I also don't eat before I run so I'm STARVING by the time the run group ends.  Sometimes I'm starving before we even begin.  And as the runs push into 5 miles....which is an hour of running....things get difficult.

Look at it this way - I get off at 5:00, usually stay until 5:30 at work putzing around, then run an errand or two and get to run group around 6:15.  I'm trying not to spend money right now and since we all know Target has a cover charge....yeah.  So I'm at run group at 6:15.  We stand around and freeze until 6:30/6:45 when the run starts.  Then we run for an hour.  So that means that I don't get done running until 7:30 ish and usually don't get home until 8:00 or so.  Then I am starved and want to eat.  And I need to get my stuff ready for the next day, and spend time with the hubs, and get a shower and dry my hair so I can sleep.

If I go straight home, change clothes, my hubs eats and I go run I'm out the door by 6 with him and we are back by 7:30.  Night is not a total loss.

I will be glad when this run group ends in 4 weeks.  It has been a real learning experience in a lot of ways.  I have learned that I am a solo runner at heart and I enjoy my runs alone, doing my own thing.  I have learned that I have what it takes to run in whatever weather as long as I feel like it.  I have learned that when life gets stressful, I want to drop the one thing I have a say in attending, which is running.

Funny thing is, I haven't regretted a run yet......

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