We’ve got some STRONG feelings about running… sometimes.
When you’re hot, you’re hot… and when you’re into running… boy, you are INTO it! You pour yourself into training, you get your significant other to help out and pick up the slack… you give it everything you’ve got! And God forbid something happens on race day to knock things out of orbit… like an extra half-mile added to your marathon… You’re going to be heartbroken. Or go ballistic. Y’know, depending on your personality.
But what happens when the love is gone?
We’re not ALWAYS going to be in love with running… or fitness for that matter. The question is… what do YOU do when you aren’t feeling it? Do you still do it? Or does it fall by the wayside?
For the full chat with Darrell & Megan about Maine Coast Marathon and “feeling it” (plus more!) check out the podcast episode on iTunes here, on Android here, or on the web player at the bottom of this post. Don’t forget to hit “subscribe”!
This is something we ALL deal with from time to time.
We get SUPER into a thing… running, fitness, that new tv show, a good book… and when you’re on it, you’re on it – you ride that high into oblivion. Eventually though… you’re gonna fall out of love with it. You don’t feel that same fire and passion for it. This might sound kinda stupid or obvious… but that’s probably because this is simply how real life works – we get bored. Normally, this is non-issue; we’ve got enough things to do that demand our attention – maybe it’s a GOOD thing we’re off that previous fixation. Now we can direct our attention at other things, right?
But what happens when it’s a GOOD habit? Fitness or nutrition?
All of a sudden… we’re NOT crazy about going to the gym. All of a sudden… we’re REALLY not that excited about getting out for a run. So what do you do? Do you just let it go like the other things you’re… not crazy about?
Not everyone does. Some people soldier on and do the thing.
Just because you’re not loving it doesn’t mean you’re just gonna stop. I mean, come on, I know I’m supposed to do this, I know it’s good for me, I know it benefits me, and I know I’ll feel better for having done it. I just… don’t feel like it. So what? I don’t feel like going to work today, but I did that. So yeah, I’m gonna keep going and doing it.
Not everyone thinks that way, though.
Unfortunately…. many people DO give up and let it go. That’s why I see people vanish from the gym for months at a time. When you’ve lost the drive and motivation… it can be tough to get back into it. You’ve gotta build up the momentum and the mental drive to do the thing again. That, arguably, is the hard part. You’ve already been there and done it, so you know the thing itself… the gym, the running, the whatever… isn’t the hard part.
Sometimes you burn out.
We all know how it goes – you went too hard, burned too bright, and now you just don’t have it in you. You need a break. It happens. This is something a lot of us do with races. We work so hard, we prep, we train, then the race comes and we give it everything we’ve got… and at the end… there really is nothing left. And we fall off, hit post-marathon blues, just… drift away. Whatever the case may be.
So… DO you FEEL it? Now?
Do you feel that fire, that passion, right now? What’s it focused on? Is it the running, the fitness, the healthy habits? If so… good! Ride that feeling, but harness it and channel it. Don’t go too hard and burn it out. And if you don’t feel it… try your hardest to get moving with the things you know you should. You’ll be glad you did – trust me.
What’s in this episode:
- Our weekend working the Maine Coast Marathon
- The accidental .5 mlie detour at that marathon
- The difference between Trail/Ultra and Road runners
- Do we take things a little too seriously?
- DO You FEEL it?! And what happens… if you don’t?
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