Lately I have been having trouble getting my running confidence back. My confidence, mojo, swagger, whatever you want to call it, it's gone.......or should I say it was.
After my marathon in early December I really didn't have time to do much in the gym. I spent the first week relaxing and licking my wounds. I got about four good days in then it was time to travel for Christmas. Then there was a very busy work week between Christmas and New Year's. By the time I got started on my half marathon training I was out of shape.
Terribly out of shape and it started affecting my confidence.
My pants were tight and I felt like a fat slob. So I did what I do best: I jumped into a training program that would kick my ass! I started using every resource I have to find good workouts to get in better shape quickly. I started the advanced half marathon training program and found a few core and cardio workouts to use.
But my biggest problem has been getting myself back into my running shape.
Starting back up after that break was a little hard. The extra weight I put on was affecting my running. In a big way. It was probably about 10 pounds or so and I could tell a huge difference. The biggest difference being that I was about a minute off of my normal pace. Times when I should have been running at an 7:30 pace I was running at an 8:30. Even on my easy runs when I was running at a 9:00 pace I felt like I had been running 8:00 the whole time.
It's been frustrating because I can't get to where I want to be fast enough. I know what I can do so I don't feel like I should have to be patient......I should be able to flip the switch and go! There have been too many runs where I felt like I was struggling when I should have been gliding.
Last week's long run was a huge confidence builder. It was a ten miler that lasted an hour and a half. And it was awesome!
What made that long run so awesome was the way I finished. The way this run was set up was 90 minutes (3/1). That means run for 90 minutes. The first 3/4 slow, the last 1/4 run at race pace. I was honestly dreading it a little because I knew how much I had been struggling. But I did keep in mind that the previous long run I felt good at the end.
When I hit that last 1/4 of my run I picked up the pace, and you know what, I started feeling comfortable again. The first part was easy, as it should have been. When I hit that last part I felt good physically and mentally. My motto for running is "Finish Strong". And I finally had a run that I could say "I finshed strong!"
I took that confidence into this week's running. I had to run hills one day and a tempo run on another. During both of those callenging runs I reached down and built on that confidence that I had gained last week.
Right now I can feel I am getting closer to where I want to be. And it all started with a re-building of my confidence.
It's funny how a long run can help kinda fix those issues I have about myself and my running.
After my marathon in early December I really didn't have time to do much in the gym. I spent the first week relaxing and licking my wounds. I got about four good days in then it was time to travel for Christmas. Then there was a very busy work week between Christmas and New Year's. By the time I got started on my half marathon training I was out of shape.
Terribly out of shape and it started affecting my confidence.
My pants were tight and I felt like a fat slob. So I did what I do best: I jumped into a training program that would kick my ass! I started using every resource I have to find good workouts to get in better shape quickly. I started the advanced half marathon training program and found a few core and cardio workouts to use.
But my biggest problem has been getting myself back into my running shape.
Starting back up after that break was a little hard. The extra weight I put on was affecting my running. In a big way. It was probably about 10 pounds or so and I could tell a huge difference. The biggest difference being that I was about a minute off of my normal pace. Times when I should have been running at an 7:30 pace I was running at an 8:30. Even on my easy runs when I was running at a 9:00 pace I felt like I had been running 8:00 the whole time.
It's been frustrating because I can't get to where I want to be fast enough. I know what I can do so I don't feel like I should have to be patient......I should be able to flip the switch and go! There have been too many runs where I felt like I was struggling when I should have been gliding.
Last week's long run was a huge confidence builder. It was a ten miler that lasted an hour and a half. And it was awesome!
What made that long run so awesome was the way I finished. The way this run was set up was 90 minutes (3/1). That means run for 90 minutes. The first 3/4 slow, the last 1/4 run at race pace. I was honestly dreading it a little because I knew how much I had been struggling. But I did keep in mind that the previous long run I felt good at the end.
When I hit that last 1/4 of my run I picked up the pace, and you know what, I started feeling comfortable again. The first part was easy, as it should have been. When I hit that last part I felt good physically and mentally. My motto for running is "Finish Strong". And I finally had a run that I could say "I finshed strong!"
I took that confidence into this week's running. I had to run hills one day and a tempo run on another. During both of those callenging runs I reached down and built on that confidence that I had gained last week.
Right now I can feel I am getting closer to where I want to be. And it all started with a re-building of my confidence.
It's funny how a long run can help kinda fix those issues I have about myself and my running.
That's awesome! I know for me it's sort nice to know that I am not the only one that struggles with these issues. It amazes me how good I feel after I pick up te pace in my exercise routine. I always kind of dread it at first because I am afraid of failing but somehow I pull something from within and pull through and that my friend is exhilarating! Last week I was so busy that I too did not get to go to the gym like I wanted but I can not wait to get there tonight! I never thought that I would feel that way! Who knew??
ReplyDeleteWhile exercise can be fun, sometimes it is an absolute grind. These are the times you lean on and remember that you can get there. You just gotta stay positive and push yourself. As much as I run and workout it seems like it should be easy. But it's not always. You take these experiences with you and learn from them.
ReplyDelete