Today I had a great run. It was a 12 miler that went from Navy Lake to the YMCA and back. That is 10 miles so I turned back around and ran a mile out and back.
This was my long run for the week. I usually get excited for my long runs but lately they have all been stinkers. I have actually had to walk at some point during each of them. If you know me, you know that is not what I do. I never want to walk during a run. Never. My ego gets in the way. Now, if I am running with someone else I will walk as much as they would like. I have no problem with that because I enjoy the company. But if it is just me....HELL NO!
I have had to walk for a few reasons: water belt malfunctions, old ladies asking for directions, saw a piece of metal in the street that would blow out a tire, stomach issues, near dehydration and just being really freaking tired. The real problem has been the tired part. I let myself walk. Because I was tired.
But why? Is my weight catching up with me? Am I that sleep deprived? Is it a mental block? WTF?
Lately I have gotten into listening to podcasts. I like to listen to Jay Mohr's "Mohr Stories" and the Sklar Brothers' "Sklarbro Country". Henderson! If you don't listen to the Sklar brothers than you didn't just get that. They are great podcasts but they usually last an hour and a half so my long runs are a great opportunity to listen to them from start to finish with no interruption.
I always listen to music when I run. However, lately I have been enjoying my podcasts. I decided today to change things up a little. I wanted to go back to music and see if maybe that was the problem. As you could imagine it made a huge difference.
I love those podcasts because they are entertaining but they don't give me that inspiration or motivation that music does. Sometimes a song can breathe extra life into you just because of the meaning or because it has a great rhythm.
How did a music lover make such a terrible mistake?
One thing I have learned about getting better as a runner is that sometimes you need to change things up. I like to try different workouts and training schedules from time to time to keep my mind and body from getting too comfortable with what I am doing.
I thought that the podcasts would keep me going but they didn't. Sure they were very entertaining but I didn't have that extra edge that I feed off of.
So today I threw a playlist together. That is always fun because it fits my mood at that moment. I know I want a certain kind of song but there are always songs that creep in there that make me think "dude what is on your mind?"
I always set my iPod to shuffle so I can be surprised and boy was I surprised. Melissa Etheridge to Primer 55 to Cinderella to Marilyn Manson to Elton John to Lenny Kravitz to Sam Kinison to Verbena. A very odd mix to say the least. Even a few songs that made me realize there is something weird on my mind. Hmmmm....
One thing happened that is either good or bad. The last time I ran a long run with my water belt the bottles kept flying out. Not this time. So either I put it on the right way this time or my ass got fatter. I prefer to think that I got it on right. Hopefully that is the case.
The only problem today? My freaking knee is hurting and I am walking like an old man. Probably because my birthday is coming up and I am getting old. Actually I believe it was from not stretching. But I am gonna blame it on old age.
This was my long run for the week. I usually get excited for my long runs but lately they have all been stinkers. I have actually had to walk at some point during each of them. If you know me, you know that is not what I do. I never want to walk during a run. Never. My ego gets in the way. Now, if I am running with someone else I will walk as much as they would like. I have no problem with that because I enjoy the company. But if it is just me....HELL NO!
I have had to walk for a few reasons: water belt malfunctions, old ladies asking for directions, saw a piece of metal in the street that would blow out a tire, stomach issues, near dehydration and just being really freaking tired. The real problem has been the tired part. I let myself walk. Because I was tired.
But why? Is my weight catching up with me? Am I that sleep deprived? Is it a mental block? WTF?
Lately I have gotten into listening to podcasts. I like to listen to Jay Mohr's "Mohr Stories" and the Sklar Brothers' "Sklarbro Country". Henderson! If you don't listen to the Sklar brothers than you didn't just get that. They are great podcasts but they usually last an hour and a half so my long runs are a great opportunity to listen to them from start to finish with no interruption.
I always listen to music when I run. However, lately I have been enjoying my podcasts. I decided today to change things up a little. I wanted to go back to music and see if maybe that was the problem. As you could imagine it made a huge difference.
I love those podcasts because they are entertaining but they don't give me that inspiration or motivation that music does. Sometimes a song can breathe extra life into you just because of the meaning or because it has a great rhythm.
How did a music lover make such a terrible mistake?
One thing I have learned about getting better as a runner is that sometimes you need to change things up. I like to try different workouts and training schedules from time to time to keep my mind and body from getting too comfortable with what I am doing.
I thought that the podcasts would keep me going but they didn't. Sure they were very entertaining but I didn't have that extra edge that I feed off of.
So today I threw a playlist together. That is always fun because it fits my mood at that moment. I know I want a certain kind of song but there are always songs that creep in there that make me think "dude what is on your mind?"
I always set my iPod to shuffle so I can be surprised and boy was I surprised. Melissa Etheridge to Primer 55 to Cinderella to Marilyn Manson to Elton John to Lenny Kravitz to Sam Kinison to Verbena. A very odd mix to say the least. Even a few songs that made me realize there is something weird on my mind. Hmmmm....
One thing happened that is either good or bad. The last time I ran a long run with my water belt the bottles kept flying out. Not this time. So either I put it on the right way this time or my ass got fatter. I prefer to think that I got it on right. Hopefully that is the case.
The only problem today? My freaking knee is hurting and I am walking like an old man. Probably because my birthday is coming up and I am getting old. Actually I believe it was from not stretching. But I am gonna blame it on old age.
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