I’m a morning person in that my energy levels are highest when the sun is dragging itself across the east side of the sky. I run in the morning because beginning the day with salubrious activity puts the strength I’m going to need in my corner when the afternoon convinces me that true happiness is found by eating handfuls of chocolate chips and finding the end of the Internet.
The self-imposed aspect of my marathon training originally had me extending my 3- mile morning jaunt to 5 miles on weekdays, but even my classification as a “morning person” wasn’t dragging me out of bed at 5 a.m. to meet that goal. In fact, running first thing in the morning was very challenging this week and, although the Grand Rapids Marathon is ages away (I won’t even be 26 anymore by the time it rolls around), the last thing I want other than for Pixar to make Cars into a trilogy is to get into a mindset of procrastination when it comes to training.
So, what do you do when running is no longer fun? If I can’t get myself to enjoy 3-5 miles of it on weekday mornings, those 26.2 miles at 8 a.m. on October 23 are going to be bloody excruciating. I realize, although I’ve enjoyed the motivation the novelty of marathon registration has given me these past three weeks, running isn’t always going to be fun. Sometimes, it’s going to be the last thing you want to do (other than see the third installment of Cars), but I think that’s when it’s most important to get out and do it so you can practice running against the inevitable thoughts that tell you to stop and promise you things like Black Magic rum cake if you do.
I remember really good runs where my energy is boundless, but it’s getting through the hellish ones that make me believe I can cross the finish line. I’m sure you all experience that same distaste toward the activity you love, but the fact that you do it anyway is what makes you a runner.
This past week, I did not run those 5 morning miles like I said I would nor did I trust my stamina enough to get me through the 11- mile group run Rick Ganzi holds every Sunday at 6 p.m. (followed by drinks and Adobe dinner– come on, Bri!), but I will do them this week, I will type you about it, and then I will devour that Black Magic rum cake.
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