Weak Weeks/Feeling the Heat/Depression

To start, after a few good training weeks, my two previous running weeks have been awful. I think I missed three days two weeks ago and am pretty sure that I missed four last week, including three in a row this week. Sure, I had stuff going on, but that’s no excuse. I’ve made time for runs before and could have found a way to run most of those days. Besides travel, general lethargy, and some bad workouts (and those shouldn’t be overly discounted), there are probably two reasons that I can point at for this lapse: (1) the heat and (2) depression.

I’m feeling the heat and not enjoying it. I love my new house and in general am ok with being in DC, but summer makes me want to be out West. Truth be told, it’s equal parts wanting to be West and not wanting to be here. I knew it would be tough to transition back to a Mid-Atlantic summer after two in the Wasatch Mountains, but I had no idea that it would be this tough. In general it sucks being outside. More important, it sucks to run outside. Eew. Yeah, tons of others suck it up and do it, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it or can’t complain about it, so I won’t and I will, respectively.

I’m also a bit depressed. I’ve been way worse, but I know the signs and symptoms well enough to know that I’m not 100% well. As with many spells of depression, this one is not attributable to a single event, but rather likely has its root in a constellation of things. One of those things is my running or lack thereof. As much as I truly am ok with ditching or dropping from races when I’m not prepared, my crappy training over the past 4 months does not make me a happy camper. First, it means that I’m not in race shape now and won’t be for at least six months. even if my training started yesterday. (Which it did…. again…) Second, after a solid first half last year and a good start to this year, I had really hoped to progress another notch this year… and that ain’t gonna happen. That said, I’m going to try to run myself out of this non-running funk.

Well, running regularly will be part of the prescription. Also on the remedy list are taking care of myself, setting realistic goals, and having a bit more fun. Getting in a regular schedule would also help. Recently, I tried to revamp my work schedule by getting in early (7 or 8) and leaving at 5:30 or 6. However, I never got as consistent as I wold have liked… and certainly not consistent enough that I rearranged my bedtime schedule to compensate. This meant that while I did make part of the transition I wasn’t getting enough sleep and wore myself out a bit. Ok, for now I will eat some lemon sorbet, watch an episode of Law and Order, and try to be in bed before midnight.

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Filed under Bryon · Tagged with Non-Running, The Big Picture, Touchy Feely, Training Update

Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
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