If you love something, let it go

The saying is something like that, innit? Pretty sure I was told something along those lines at least a couple times in high school. That's how I'm feeling about running lately. I've been in a bit of a rut since like... mile 38 of Wild Hare. I've for sure slowed down a bit. And I'm not getting as much joy per run as I usually do. (yes, that's a metric) Maybe I'm a bit burned out.
I still have the Cowtown Marathon coming up next weekend. This'll be the first marathon that I'm not actively shooting for a PR. My training has... mostly happened. It's just been harder than ever to get up for those solo long runs. Being honest, there's been more than a couple that I cut short "just cuz." Lately it seems like I might be coming out of my funk a little as I've had a couple good runs and what I'd say was a decent race. I don't think it's been enough to completely pull me out of this.
So, I think I'm going to take some time off. What does that mean? Not actively training for something. Running purely for fun. Occasionally doing races, but not specifically training for them.
I'll still be doing the MGG Run Club runs a couple times a week, doing the RWB Run as One, and doing Road Lizards Tuesday and Friday runs, but just for the fun of it. On the plus side, there will be more chances to sleep in! I don't know how the number of miles I'll run per week... nor do I think I care for the time being.
What am I going to do with all this free time? Fill it with working out, of course. I've been lifting a lot more lately, really to get stronger for trail runs and my PT test. I forgot how much fun it can be. Mila has been jumping in there with me too. We're upping our Olympic lifts and bench numbers. I don't think we'll be competing anytime soon though.
I also reached out to a local karate school to check out some of their fitness classes. Not that I'm really trying to get another black belt or put on a dobok, but Mila and I like to tie martial arts into our training as it is. Why not do it in class setting? Supposedly their class mixes martial arts with kettlebells and body weight training. We'll see if that works out. That or maybe CrossFit?
The point of all this is that I'm just trying to figure out what to do next. I plan on running for as long as I'm physically able. I am going to sign up for the San Antonio Rock N Roll in December. I think a little break will be the perfect reset button.
What about you? Have you ever been in a funk? What did you do to get out of it?

Comments

Fanciness, gardens, and you're a guey

Day 4 was "supposed" to take place mainly outside. The forecast called for rain most of the day and, well, it looked like we would be running ourselves ragged to make the self-imposed time hacks. So, we made a little adjustment. We still decided to go to a couple different gardens. However, we needed breakfast first (let's be honest, it was second breakfast for this hobbit). We went to Confiteria La Ideal for a fantastic breakfast. I had thought it was a smaller place to grab a coffee and snack and then be on our way. However, we walked in and realized it's not that type of spot. The cafe originally opened in 1912 and was long considered the best example of porteno (coming from Buenos Aires) gastronomy for the best part of the 20th century. They closed their doors in 2016 but reopened in 2022 after a massive restoration project. We also saw that we were way underdressed. Luckily, we could play the ignorant tourist card and, if need be, I could always speak horrendou...

Swag bag

It's been a busy few weeks since I wrote my last post about the state parks we've been visiting. Well, we did it again. I wanted to roll up our trip to Jordan Lake with an update on the Csapo Family 5k and a shortened write up from our in-person 5k. So, let's get to it. We hit up state park #5, Jordan Lake, a few weeks ago. Just a bit outside of Raleigh, the man-made Jordan Lake is the 7th largest lake in the state. Upon its several inlets, the state park includes several campgrounds, boat launches, and recreation areas. We wanted a 2-3 mile trail so we went with the red trail at Vista Point. Many of the other trails were either different distances or accessible only to campers. The red trail has an inauspicious beginning as it's located kind of near a rentable pavilion. It took us a minute to find it as there wasn't much of a trailhead sign. Furthermore, it is a path through the woods, not quite the obviously delin...

Volunteering at the Run in the Sun 8k

As I've detailed in earlier posts, I'm about a month into my heart rate training. That means, from May through August, it's nothing but aerobic training for this guy. My fastest mile has been 10:20, so racing is pretty much out of the question. As shown by our performances last year, Ryan and I don't quite know how to hold back during a race. Additionally, I haven't met any runners out here and I figured that this would be a great way to do so. I started trolling around the internets last week and found a couple races in need of volunteers. Mila, James, and I volunteered at the San Angelo Road Lizards 44th Annual Run in the Sun 8K this morning. We showed up nice and early, 6 a.m. (Yes, I actually got Mila out of bed that early.) but didn't see anyone except a bunch of police. We weren't sure if we were being set up for something. Eventually we came across Daniela, the race director, and a few other SARL folks. T...

Gordo Running

Search This Blog