I woke up this morning with a strange feeling: I didn’t feel like going for a run.
Sunday is my distance day and this morning I was scheduled to run 20km @ 5:25/km. No problem, usually… but this morning was different. I had no motivation and worse yet all I could think about was how much work I had to get done today.
Don’t worry, dear reader, I did get out there and ran 21.3km in 1:58 but it was hardly the relaxing, enjoyable run I usually have on Sunday morning. Usually it is just me, my Adizeros, the soothing voice of miCoach (I prefer the “UK English Female”), the Edmonton river valley and as many science/health podcasts my crappy old iPod can carry. This morning I had an extra passenger along. An unwanted passenger. I believe his name is Negativity and he is a jerk.
It’s true that I have 30+ projects to mark for the class I teach at MacEwan University, workflow documents to prepare for a client, a Team in Training newsletter and this blog to write, an ‘intro to running’ session to plan for an AFLCA certification class, PLUS an afternoon tea my significant other signed me up for (I guess there are worse things than that but I don’t even drink tea). All of that is pretty normal for me and without Mr. Negativity on my shoulder I would have greeted this day with determination and grit. Instead I had to kick my own butt (several times), drink an extra coffee, take a deep breath and just jump in – kicking and screaming (on the inside).
Last weekend my coach, Tania Jones, and a load of other iRun folks, ran the Around The Bay 30k race in Hamilton, ON. When Tania emailed me about the race later that day, she said:
“It was a war out there at ATB. Fought for every km. At least I know that my marathon toughness is still sharp… gave me the confidence that I am tough enough to go back to the marathon…”
Check out her choice of words – fought, toughness, confidence, war. I know we are just runners but this is the type of determination I hope I was building this morning when I dragged myself out there and kicked my own butt around the city. I am hoping this will help make the difference between a small but easily attained PB and a hard fought, toughness inducing, all-out war when I run Toronto’s Goodlife Fitness Marathon on May 15th.
PS – My interview with iRun’s own Mark Sutcliffe has been posted for all to hear. Check it out: iRun The Running Show – March 26, 2011 (my interview is near the end of the show).