GET AWAY FROM ME "BLAH"!!!!

Repost from my blog over at the IMT Des Moines Marathon Page

We’ve all been there. Our training block for our goal race is going REALLY well. You’ve been getting up for those 6am runs. You’ve been really happy with your shoe choice. You’re getting tan. You’re shedding some of the winter fur that’s been hanging around. Your times have been improving. You’ve got the best playlist of Taylor Swift….I mean…Metallica…yeah…Metallica…that’s ever been created and your runs are going incredible…then BAM!!!!!! You get punched in your new set of Beats headphones by the dreaded “Blah” monster!!!!

Your fight begins with you looking at the clock on a Saturday morning when you’re supposed to get your 18 miler in. He looks you in the eye and begins his assault, “What were you thinking setting your alarm clock for 5:15? You need more sleep”. You hit him back with “NO!!!! I AM AMAZING AND THIS 18 MILER IS MY LONGEST RUN TO DATE!!!”. Unwaivered by your relenting, he strikes back with “But you do remember that you still haven’t finished your ‘Stranger Things’ marathon, right? Wouldn’t it feel better to just sit on the couch and enjoy a gallon and a half of guacamole?”….mmmmmm……guacamole……… This struggle goes on for the next 45 minutes as you see the temps outside approaching 1,000º.

You claw your way out of the grips of his hands that weirdly smell like bologna…which reminds me that I need to get lunch meat…put on that fresh pair of HOKA ONE ONE, get out the door and set off on your run. Every step sucks. Your breathing is off. Your headphones keep falling out of your head. Your amazing playlist somehow has turned into One Direction….I mean….yeah…it’s a One Direction playlist….and every little hill feels like you’re climbing a mountain. He’s caught you again. His bologna and ketchup stained fingers have their grip on you again. You think about jumping in a ditch to nap. You wonder how long it would take an uber driver to find you. You wonder if that dog that chased you a little while back could be harnessed with a saddle and you could ride it back home because you remember that you have guacamole in your fridge. All of these thoughts creep up, but you finish one of the worst runs of your life. And you get home to sulk in that guacamole and you just felt…..blah….

Obviously the above scenario is fictional because…let’s be honest…nobody likes bologna…and there are no such things as monsters. But, the “blah” feeling is real and something that we as runners have to struggle with from time to time.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a couple thousand of these runs. Runs where you start off just feeling like the “meh” character from The Emoji Movie. We’ve all been there. You are definitely not alone. I’ll be very honest when I say that I’ve actually gotten a lot of strength from those moments. I’ve had some of the worst runs when my training has been spot on and it’s OK to have those moments.

I’ve found, for myself, when I get back from a run and just feel defeated because everything felt “off”, I look back at what I’ve been able to accomplish and know that these crappy runs are just a part of the process. Usually the crappy runs are when I’m dealing with a lot of stress from work, I haven’t been hydrating well enough, I’ve been eating crappy food or something like that. This is where keeping a log of your runs is a great idea. Whether you’re old school using a notebook or using Strava, jot down what was going on leading up to the death march of your run. Write it out what was happening in your life at that point so at the end of the training cycle or after your “A” race you can look back and know what happened.

We’re all training for a bigger event and just because you have a run or two that just don’t feel right, don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s OK to have sucky runs because in a couple of days or next week you are going to have one of those runs where everything clicks.

I am a very big advocate of everyone wearing a Road ID. They are a great product that allow you to customize an accessory, not only with necessary contact information, but also sayings or motivational things for yourself. It’s little things like this that can bring you back from wanting to call that uber when you’re on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere.

Again, just know that those crappy runs will pass. Train your butt off…that’s what I’m actually doing…trying to make my butt fall off….and just know that on race day, you can look back at the runs that you fought back against the “blah monster” and you took his ketchup stained hands and slapped him around like you did to your younger siblings…”stop hitting yourself…stop hitting yourself”….and destroyed your goals!!!!

I hope that you all are enjoying this beautiful heat training spell that we are having. Iowa is a beautiful place to live…but MAN THIS HEAT SUCKS!!! 

Stay Strong, Run Long!!!

***disclaimer*** No monsters, sisters, farm dogs, or bowls of guacamole were hurt in the above scenario