Grumpy's Not Good

"The real leader of the group, Grumpy is ‘agin’ everything.   He is grouchy, crabby, and his primary dislike is ‘wimmin!’ While his nose is the most prominent part of his face, his soft, tender heart is even bigger under all that gruff veneer – much to his own disgust.  When trouble arises, it’s Grumpy who acts first to save the day!" - http://crushable.com/

Watch out, it's Grumpy day...the one I've been putting off because I feel like my posts have taken a decidedly negative turn on their own recently, even without having this particular dwarf as the theme.

As many of you know, lately I've been in a slump - a running slump.  I'm having trouble getting motivated, even on nice days, to do any kind of running.  Then, because I'm not officially training for anything, I'm not feeling the pressure to force myself to go for a run, so I've skipped more workouts than I'd care to admit and turned a few into walks instead of runs.

As a result, I've been trying to find ways to get myself out of this grumpy funk.  I've asked for advice from many, and have gotten some great info and motivation from other's blogs.  I've also bookmarked a couple of good inspirational quote websites and signed up for Runner's World "quote of the day" email list - all quick and easy "go-to" places when I'm feeling a little low.  I thought I'd share a few with you all.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it does include some of my favorites:

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?" - Peter Maher 

"Run hard, be strong, think big!" - Percy Cerutty 

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." - Oprah Winfrey

"If someone says, ‘Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you run?’ ignore him! What the hell difference does it make?…. The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles." - Bill Bowerman

"Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit." - unknown

"I decided to go for a little run." - Forest Gump 

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running. - African Proverb

So there you go.  I'll try my best to be less grumpy from here on out.  No promises that every post will be sunshine and roses, but a more positive attitude is definitely on the agenda for the next training cycle!