Building Consistency

 If you have spent many years running, many of you will understand that your running life tends to cycle.  You will go from being compulsively consistent to reach a goal, then once reached, you may struggle just to get out the doors a couple of days a week. I have been through both extremes and have spent plenty of time in the middle.

It is so easy to beat yourself up when you are in a running slump.  You remember how fit you were and how good you felt when you were in a solid routine, but you just can't find the motivation to get back there.  So instead of running being an escape from real world worries, or a stress reliever, it becomes a source of stress and guilt.  

I did that for years. I have finally learned to absolve myself from the guilt I used to feel when I was "slacking" and give myself a little grace. Life can beat you up from time to time, and when it does, I think it is good to have your view of running in a healthy place.  

The last half of 2022 was crazy for me work-wise.  We were short staffed and many of the tasks that should have been done were behind schedule, causing me to have to work double time to get everything up to speed and finish up the year.  I decided to give myself some room to breathe and backed off on my running a bit.  It was a huge relief once I did, but rather than feel guilty for not running, I found myself missing it.

Even though 2023 looks to be another challenging year at work, I am determined to have more balance in my life.  I am better when I am running regularly - my happy spot is around 40 miles/week - this is where I feel the best, but it is not wearing on my energy levels.

So, here I am working on building my consistency and recreating the running habits that I need.  I will probably end up running 5 days/week, which is a good amount for me. Most of my earlier ultras were done with 4 day/week trainings, but lots of two-a-days and high mileage runs mid week.  Spreading it over 5 days/week should help even out the load a bit.

If you are in a rut with your running and wondering if you even want to do it anymore ... don't despair. It is normal.  Take some time off from "training" and do some fun runs with friends.  Or don't.  It has to be something you WANT to do, or you have to set a goal you WANT to reach.  If you aren't doing it for yourself, you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

My two and a half cents. :-) 

Happy Running!  Edie