Can I Seriously Be Tired?

Running is becoming more regular again. You would think this would be good news, but I have turned into THAT runner who is training for their very first 5k. You know the runner - the one who thinks a long run is the race distance. The runner who has tight quads from a 3-miler. The runner who returns to the house wanting a rubdown like an underperforming boxer! Jeez, can this have happened to me? I have a 4-miler on tap this weekend - let the whining begin! Now where did I put my icy hot?!

Today's guilty pleasure: Pitbull. Great music for running. Best of all, the librarian asked me, "Is Pitbull one word or two?" Yes, I get my music from the library. I'm THAT runner, too.

When Does a Running Break Turn into a Hiatus?

It's been 4 weeks since my last race. Granted, that race was a marathon. But since that race, I have ran twice. What?! Two times? I've changed my bed sheets more than I've run?! So my question: when does a break from running/racing turn into a hiatus? And more importantly, why is it so hard to start back up again? I know I can't be alone on this.

Mental Challenge of Long Runs

Training for an endurance event means logging in multiple log runs. I'm sure there are definitions galore out there for what constitutes a "long run." For me, the long run is generally any distance longer than a half marathon's distance. Lately, all of my long runs have been knocked out by myself as the family just can't understand why anyone would want to run for 3+ hours. Yesterday's run was probably my breaking point mentally. I didn't enjoy being alone. Not really sure I've would have been good company anyway. I was quite the whiner. I finished 3 miles and that's when I knew I was in trouble. I started whining that I still had 19 more miles to go. At mile 7, I whined I still had 15 more miles! Quite honestly, when you're knocking out a 20+ miler, all of your math will result in a "long run." Yuck! Even as I write this, I'm still amazed I finished. I'll be glad that in 4 more weeks, my runs can go back to 10 miles or less per run. Now that's something I can wrap my head around!