That's What Friends Are For

Every now and then someone approaches me about something I've written on my blog. It is always a surprise, because typing into the void of cyberspace, I really don't expect anyone to read this (but thanks to the awesome people who do!)
So when a friend suggested we motivate each other by going for a run together, my first thought was, "wow, you read my blog?!" and my second thought was, "Fantastic! My whining on my keyboard has turned into a productive solution!"
It's friends like that who really keep me going when times are down. The ones who say, "yeah, I know where you're at. I'm there too. Let's join forces to get ourselves out of this and into a better place."
So now we've joined forces to kick our unmotivation in the pants and get out there and train. And you know what? I'm feeling better about running. I'm getting just a bit more excited about it.
And it shows! I kicked ass so much in my 30-minute tempo run on Tuesday that a couple people commented, showed up for hills on Wednesday (recently, just showing up is considered a Good Day) and today did a fun and easy 5k with two great gals.
Because sometimes you need a kick in the pants to find motivation. Other times you need a friend to take hold of your hand and lead you to a better place.
I don't know what next week will bring, or any of the weeks after that. But I'm grateful for where I'm at now.

Smiling and happy after our 16k jaunt: John, Steff, and Me (at that time, not intentionally wearing a shirt with her name on it!)

Countdown to the Day After

I have come to the conclusion that I am rather unfit. Today's 16k (okay, maaaybbbee it was 15.75k) felt tough for a lot of the run. We kept a steady pace of around 6.15min/km but from the get-go I was counting down until the next walk break.
But the conversations were lively and the route was scenic. I attempted to do the last 1.5k around race pace to see how it felt. Not as good/easy as I would have liked.
Hmmm. Maybe I should focus less on lying on the couch eating chocolate and more on getting my running shoes laced up to actually go for a run. There is, after all, only 7 weeks until race day!
I can't remember the last time I was so unmotivated for a half marathon. Have I ever been unmotivated for a half marathon? Right now, I'm more motivated to get to October 13th, when the race is finito and no more training is required.

No Longer a Distance Runner

You know you're no longer a distance runner when 14k feels like a reaaaalllyyyy looooooonnnnggg sllllooooogggg.

Ugh.

To Marathon or Not to Marathon

Change is in the air. Or maybe it is in my heart.

Regardless, something has happened since I moved back to Calgary. In Brisbane, I had a large contingency of great running friends and looked forward (sort of) to waking up at 4.45am to meet my friends and work hard at a run. The excitement of signing up for races together and cheering each other on was amazing. And who can forget those Long Slow Runs on the weekend, where we would nestle in with our cozy pace group and talk incessantly for 2+ hours, only to follow-it up with breakfast, tea, and even more talk!

To everyone I ever ran with in Brisbane: you put the smile on my face at 5.30am.

Now I'm in Calgary, and the running scene is...different. No longer in the morning, the sessions are now in the evening, on our own, or "late" Sunday morning (really, 8.30am is considered late to start a 2-3 hour run, isn't it?!). And runs in the evening are...not my thing. There is the dilemma of should I squeeze in some food after work before running and run on a heavy stomach, or wait until late in the evening when I get home? And then there is the fact that there are so many other fun things to do in the evening, that running has been starting to feel like an obligation more than a higlight.

It is no secret that I have been planning to run a marathon for my 30th birthday next year. The debate has previously been between Chicago or New York (assuming I squeeze in to one of them!). But when visiting my parents at my dad's log cabin, I made a mistake of passing by a kennel and looking at the puppies. You see, after running my first marathon next year, my thoughts were drifting towards "retirement" from serious running so I can focus my energies on a dog. But now I'm thinking, why wait? If I'm struggling for motivation to train for a half marathon, what will suddenly rev me up for the full marathon training?

I mean, there is something to be said for both options. There are two ways I can think about this decision. Like this:

Or like this...