Feeling Good

One of the things I love so much about running is how much of it is a mind game.

During April and May and much of June, I was struggling to run with my injuries and the less I ran or exercised, the worse I felt. It was a long way to fall; from 100km to being able to barely limp 2km. I felt my fitness slipping away every day and I didn't want to start all over again. I've done that too many times before - work hard, get fit, see improvements, get injured, gain weight and lose fitness.

But now I've decided to let it all go and stop focussing on where I was but where I want to be and this small perspective shift has made a world of difference to my attitude. Instead of saying 'I only ran 3km' I'm saying 'I ran 3km'. I will slowly build up to half marathon fitness again by mid October.

I'm feeling quite good on my runs. I'm not fast, but that's OK - that will come. My breathing is comfortable, my legs feel a little tired, but I like ending my runs thinking I could do more. This time I WILL follow the 10% rule (i.e. not increase my runs by more than 10% per week) and just because I CAN run further, doesn't mean I should.

One of the most challenging things about running? Training my pup to NOT trip me up. She's getting much better and is loving my return to running even more than I am. Here's a pic of her 'roaching'. Ah, if only I could sleep like that, anywhere, anytime...