A Whole Lot of Discipline

Sometimes, going on a run just comes easy to me. Like that long run on Friday a couple weeks back, that just happened. Sometimes after work, I just know that I need to run, and I just do it without thinking about it.

I don't know why, but that wasn't the case this week. I don't feel burnt out. I wasn't extra tired, or working extra-long hours, and I was getting plenty of perfect sleep. But for some reason, every time I ran this week, it took some convincing.

On the flip side, I actually started enjoying my lifts again this week. Can I enjoy them both at the same time? Maybe not, it appears. But it's been nice to like my workouts.

This is how the week panned out (so far):

Monday: Lower Body Workout & 32-minute run "Running on Empty w/Headspace" + Core Circuit

Tuesday: Upper Body Workout + Core Circuit

Wednesday: 45-Minute run "Run with Shalene" + Core Circuit

Thursday: Full Body Workout + Core Circuit & 33-minute run "Fuel the Run with Shalene"

I guess I don't remember enough about Monday to tell you how it went. I do know that I was highly dreading the run. I had plenty of energy, but I had already worked out (and of course, hit legs) so it wasn't sounding all that great. However, I also know I enjoy the Headspace runs. Coach Bennett brings in a guest who talks about mindfulness and mediation and it's a pretty useful topic to listen to.

On Tuesday, I couldn't convince myself to get a run done after my workout, so I was thankful that I had done it on Monday. Realistically, if I hadn't run Monday, I would've convinced myself on Tuesday, but still, it was nice to know I had 1 run done.

On Wednesday, I REALLY did not want to do this. I'm telling you, I'm in a funk and I don't know why. Not a general funk - I'm incredibly content with how life is going right now - but just in a "running seems hard" type of funk. I knew I had to choose the 45-minute one though because I'm skipping my long run this weekend and overall, not getting in as many miles this week. I've done this particular guided run probably the most out of any of NRC's runs. I guess Coach throws this run into most programs, and it makes sense why.

I remember the first time I did it. It was a couple years ago, and I was just getting into running, but was feeling pretty good about it. Half the reason I enjoy runs (& walks) is because I get to listen to music. This particular guided run does not allow for a lot of music to be listened to. I remember that while I enjoyed the content, I hadn't needed the motivation at the time and just wanted to listen to my playlist, so I had been a little frustrated.

Over the years, I've learned to LOVE this run. It's with Shalene Flannagan, who, if you don't know, was the first American woman to win the NYC Marathon in 40 years. She also talks about the Boston Marathon a lot and, when I was living there, I loved listening to this run when I was actually running on the street she was referring to (Boylston St - the Boston Marathon finish line).

For yesterday's run, there couldn't have been a more perfect guided run to listen to. While I wasn't feeling motivated, my legs were heavy, and 45-minutes felt like it was going to be a long run, I just loved listening to Coach Bennett and Shalene's conversation. They do talk the majority of the run, which just made it FLY by for me. They'd hop on, say "you're 20 minutes in" and then by the time they stopped talking - "we're coming up on 32 minutes." How lovely! The conversation is incredibly interesting as Shalene discusses how she trained, how she qualified, what she did when she was injured, and how it felt when she won NYC.

This made yesterday's run significantly more enjoyable. And I guess I was feeling better physically than I felt mentally because I ran at a good pace too.

Today, I wasn't necessarily dreading the run, but I wasn't feeling fantastic while doing it. The nice thing about working from home is that I got my workout in midday. I kind of forget about running but then when I was done with work, I just did what I usually do and started getting ready for a run. I knew that I had the option for a 33-minute run, which was exciting. After running 45 yesterday, 33 felt like a treat - not actually while running, but prior to the run it felt super doable.

The run did go fine. I do feel like my legs have been extra heavy this week (likely from working out, I know) and I consistently felt like I was running slower than normal. But I guess I'm just getting faster because my actual pace vs. my perception has been incredibly off. I figured I was running 11-minute miles yesterday, however ended with a 9'57 pace. Today felt similar and I ended with a 9'49 pace. Very odd how you can be so wrong on how you're doing.

The moral of the story - I wasn't motivated this week and didn't necessarily feel fantastic while running, but I did it and it all turned out just fine. Plus, I'm very glad that I abandoned the treadmill this week. If you live in a pretty city, go run outside. Save the treadmill for the rainy and dark days. Every time I run outside, I'm glad I did. The same does not go for the treadmill. Especially before or after work when the sun is rising or setting, it's so worth it to see a city like that. I always try to take photos while running, which I'll be honest, I've gotten pretty good at. I looked back on them today from this week and was so pleased with myself for getting outside.

Run #32: Monday, August 25th - 32-Minute Headspace Run: 3.21 mi 9'58 pace

Run #33: Wednesday, August 27th - 45-Minute Run with Shalene: 4.53 mi 9'57 pace

Run #34: Thursday, August 28th - 33-Minute Run 3.36 mi 9'49 pace