Where Has All the Motivation Gone?

Remember my last post about being back in the game?  So much for that...because I'm not.  In fact, I'm not even standing on the sidelines - more like I'm up in the nosebleed seats watching the small dots scurry around on the field.  This is not good.

I don't know why my motivation has left me.  But it needs to come back, and it needs to come back SOON!

It certainly hasn't helped that I caught some kind of crud back at the end of January and have not been able to shake it - I still have a lingering cough that is downright miserable/painful at times.  And I'm pretty sure I also had/have a pretty hefty case of post-race blues.  Combine those two, and it's the perfect storm of weeks full of excuses for not running.  But it's more than that, I think...

So, about that darn motivation.  This is something I'm really struggling with right now.  I just completed a MARATHON!!!  I got my Coast-to-Coast medal!(ummm...yes, I know, I still haven't posted my Tink race report).  Why am I not pumped about running more races?  Here's the truly odd part - I am excited about running more races.  I'm signed up for quite a few this year that I can't wait to participate in!  Some are just for fun with friends, some are goal races where I'll need to push myself in training and in racing, and some that are a combination of the two.  So why can't I translate that excitement into energy and motivation to get my butt off my couch and go DO something about it?

I'm know I'll get back in the groove eventually.  While I try to figure this out, anyone have any tips?  Any tricks to fool myself into thinking I want to get back out there until I actually really and truly do?

Back in the Game

Well, after an almost month-long running hiatus, I got back out there yesterday morning.  I certainly wasn't fast - I just wanted to get moving again.  I should've been more active in the past few weeks, especially considering I have another half marathon next weekend...but...well, let's face it...I don't have any good excuses as to why.  After a long training cycle and a very full January, I just needed a break.

It was a bright, crisp, cool morning and a great day to be outside.  Even though I didn't really get into any kind of rythym, and I ended up switching to 30:90's for the majority of the run, I still felt really great when I was done.  It was nice to experience the post-run high again!

Saturday's run:

• 3 mi; 0:43:39; 14:33 min/mi avg pace

Race Report: My First Marathon - Mickey 2012: Part 3

Part Three: Post-Race & The Magic Kingdom

Did you miss Part Two: The Race?  Check it out here.

My makeshift ice bath.

During training, I had a lot of success using ice baths after my long runs to aid in recovery, so I knew that I wanted to do something similar after the marathon, but since Carrie and I were sharing a room, neither one of us wanted to wait on the other to take one before we could take ours - so I came up with the solution of hopping in the pool!  After all, it was just footsteps from our hotel room door, and it wasn't heated - so it would definitely do the trick!  So I took off all my electronics (errr...except the heart rate monitor which was under my bra strap that I'd forgotten about...oops!), hobbled over to the pool, and not-so-elegantly slipped in.  It was definitely cold, but exactly what I needed!  After a few minutes, mom came out and sat by the pool to keep me company.  I stayed in for about 40 minutes, and I even did some underwater leg stretches while I was in there - something that "hurt so good."