Hello lovely VRB’s, I’ve been reading lots of your posts this week in snatched moments ( sorry 😐 mainly on the loo!) in what has been another very hectic week.
I have had a bout of what I think is ‘Runner’s Anti-Climax’ I’m guessing there is such a ‘thing’ 😉
It’s not just one thing is it? It’s a mix, I’ve been mulling it over and these are the ingredients I’ve identified so far....
1. I had what I expected to be the excitement of new shoes but having run in them a couple of times I am underwhelmed by them, hardly notice much difference ( except in my bank balance!!) from my beloved 27 year old pair, somewhat confusing and defying all expectations!
2. Then I had waited all July to do a PB attempt for 5k, and I achieved a PB, ran a pretty respectable time, and felt ‘so what?’ I was frustrated with myself for feeling disappointed I couldn’t bring home a sub 30 minute time. Really! After all that yoga and self development arghhhhhh.....
3. I worked steadily through my plan all month and thought I was very happy with what I’d done but just felt flat.
4. I’ve been feeling a bit lonely out there just me and my runs.
5. I’ve been looking ahead and thinking 🤔 ( Mr Jorge says I 💭 too much!) seeing myself running up and down, out and back the same routes endlessly and wondering, “Am I a gerbil or what?” I have taken great help from @Roxdog and @Delly-dot posts and replies on this one 🙏
Just in the nick of time this weekend my brother came to stay close by and to my delight I discovered my lovely sister in law had just finished Couch to 5k and so Saturday morning I had a Real Running Buddy and drove to meet her and ran a different route. It was the slowest happiest run I’ve run this year, chatting loudly as we kept our social distance.
This has definitely helped and we are planning to enter a run together somewhere when they get going again, which is going to be a great motivator........but I know I need to take some action now to cure my current ailment.....so this is what I’ve done so far.
I’ve sent HRH Impatient Hare to Spain knowing she won’t come back again whilst quantine rules are in place which should give me at least a clear August without her breathing down my neck.
I’ve switched plans too... from Juju’s Magic Plan Distance to the Time one. I’m continuing with Week 4 but no longer looking at getting to 10k by week 8. I know I can run for an hour so there’s no pressure now on the Time plan. What’s the rush anyway?
This week I should have more time to look at planning some different runs, it’ll mean driving somewhere or roping in Mr J to give me a lift but that should be OK.
It might not just be the running but here’s hoping I can pull myself out of the doldrums and abandon my Gerbil suit.😬🤗
Thought you might like to see our Tolstoy ‘War and Peace’ garden that Mr.J and I created during Lockdown. We are so lucky having this oasis of calm.
Thank you for so eloquently explaining.your status at the minute. I totally identify with you. Sometimes I think we overthink things, new shoes, new route, PB etc. I have forgotten why I'm doing this and it's become a bit of a battle.
How lovely you got your visitors, hopefully having a real running buddy and something to aim for will give you a little bit of a pick me up.
You're right about the plan though! I've completed time and am now doing distance but reading here how easy some are finding it is sort of making me question myself so I'm taking the pressure off.
I'm taking advice from Hidden and Hidden and breaking my run up into chunks. I did a short run this morning and felt a little better. The 10k may be achieved but I'm not thinking about it for now. I'm just going to run.
So jorgeRuns get those old faithfuls on and just walk to the beach enjoying the world and the comfort of old friends. Happy running ☺️
Thank you Allbarron, I know what you mean about how easily the self doubts can creep in when we see others taking off so well so I try to remember how we all different and how comparing ourselves to others is indeed a rocky road to misery. Reading dijep 6 month post this morning really helped, finding joy in running the run she always wanted to do, you are right, the PB’s , the gear, the pace monitors buzzing away, the too tight plans, can all be distractions from finding our own happy running path, who really wants to engage in another battle, not at my age that’s for sure. Thank you 🙏, I can feel something shifting through this conversation, hope you do too. 😊🤗
I felt that reading your original post. I get so much motivation from here but my little gremlins kick in. I've never been particularly sporty so they constantly challenge me and tbh I'm afraid I suffer a lot from imposter syndrome 🥴. My battle is with myself😟. Thanks again for the post🤞
Do you know that actually just by being you and going out there and then posting on here, that you'll inspire others? Overcoming those demons and going out, trying something new and achieving...wow!!
Ah I know that sneaky imposter syndrome devil, she/he is a really sticky blighter, once stuck hard to shake off, I was speaking on the phone a few minutes ago with my son who has just been on the biggest job of his life, heard myself saying ‘ Do not listen to Imposter S, it is a mere figment of our imaginations’ 😄
I love this. As long as we can continue running and love it, then whilst targets can be useful, it is really all about the buzz and enjoyment. I want to feel that my run has been my triumph of endurance. Yes, it can be hard, but there is so much satisfaction in those long slow runs. Time to decompress, trust your body and achieve something physical.
What a real change around post. I'm a firm believer in new routes for curing all sorts of problems, but a new running buddy too, brilliant. I hope you continue to find lovely new happy routes 🤗
I shall commit to looking for them Grannyhugs, thank you 😊🤗
Hey, thank you for posting. There are so many things here that I wish I had you in front of me so I could bat them all away with you.
1. The shoes- I got this too when I changed a month ago. You will grow with them and the more miles you do.
2. 5k PB 🥇 under 30 may or may not come but work in steps towards that sub 30min goal and a PB is a big one!
3. You'd have been much flatter having not been so consistent.
4. I love running alone so perhaps feel different from you here. I love the solitude, peace and challenge of it. This can be time for you to build resilience, strength and stamina.
5. I used to think this too but almost all my runs are looped around the sea wall and I've really come to love it and make it feel like my home patch. I can make it a bit shorter or longer or loop again if I like but though I enjoy new routes too. I feel happy running with familiarity.
I think it's so natural to mentally gloss over all the positive things you have achieved and built up. I read your post and thought, 'That's good. that's good and that's good too.' You are running regularly, got a PB and can run longer now. An idea might be to pick out a positive for each individual run or run week (new PB, felt good in this one, didn't want to go but did or as simple as another one done.) This way you had something achieved and a signpost that going out had worth which each and every run does. Everytime you feel a bit low about it try reframing that thought to something positive or deliberately looking for a positive. Believe me, there's always one. On my cool down walk home I mentally say 'Well done Dean, another one done' and pick a part that I felt positive about.
The ability to run and run well (which is you!) is the main thing. When you are injured or our VRB's are think how much a run, any run they'd love to do. You are achieving, yes achieving every time you lace up. I'm giving you a big WELL DONE!! Keep tweaking and refining and you'll get back in the zone 😊
Remember, 'Comparison is the thief of joy' as they say on The Running Channel.
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Thank you GTFC for such a thoughtful reply, it’s so helpful in working out what I need. You are right, there are lots of good things to focus on, lots of achievements to be happy about and I am pleased with what I’ve achieved. Reading your reply has helped me identify a sneaking feeling that because I have been so achievement focused, although it might seem strange, this might be part of the problem for me. I think it is the joy that dijep experienced recently that is missing for me, I can see now the shoes won’t give it me, nor the PB, or another tick on my plan. I won’t abandon these things or even think they are unimportant, but I need some salt/spice adding to help it all taste good. Does that make sense?
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Absolutely! And finding the right recipe for you will be exciting too!
What a brilliant post! Thank you for writing it. It’s sometimes really difficult to get the motivation to go and run. My bugbear is speed so am doing JuJu’s plan on distance and it was Hidden who pointed out you don’t HAVE to run that distance if you don’t want to. There is a plan but you don’t have to stick to it.
I guess we look for things to stimulate and spur us on whether it is the magic plan, the new shoes or a Garmin watch.
The best thing about running is this community, always there to lend a helping hand, provide a word of encouragement or gentle guidance when mojo’s disappear or insistent gerbils impose.
I am learning to run and enjoy it for what it is without goals, time pressures and distances encroaching.
I am so glad you had a fun run with your sister in law. Makes it all seem better some how. Happy running!
Thank you Timotea , yes that’s it I think, that is exactly what I need to learn too, I have been reading the exchanges you mention, it’s starting to dawn on me now, even trying to run slower , giving myself permission to run slower seemed a heavy imposition. Aren’t we complex creatures.
it makes such a difference having others around, virtual and real, as you say the best bit, 🙏 😊🤗
I know what you mean. One minute I was thinking “ oh I’ve come back from that nasty virus last year, which has ruined my lungs, and I’ve got through C25k again and built up to 10k again and can run for over an hour 3 times a week with no bother now”. And feeling good about myself. AND running 100k last month too!!!
And then the annoying hip issue reared it’s ugly head again and I’m due for this steroid jab tomorrow, which I’m hoping will help, but I’m going to be non running for at least 2 weeks.....
And I was going to squeeze in a run on Friday and one today too but talked myself out of both because of the heat. ....
And then I started comparing last years times with this years and I’m still 30 seconds slower per I’m than I was ....
And I’ve lost all motivation to do anything now.. even Pilates which I usually do every day.
BUT I will give myself a good talking to after tomorrow’s jab and at least do the Pilates again. And I need to walk daily too as that’s good for distribution of the steroid apparently. So I WILL start enjoying it again!!! 😁and I’m sure you will too. I too run more or less the same couple of routes, A)because I like them and dont have to drive to get to them, and B)they are mainly pretty and C)I know more or less how far I’ve run by certain markers.
I am a creature of habit and just need to get myself back into that habit again. And I’m sure you will too. 👍💪🏃♀️🏃♀️
That’s a lot you’ve been through limberlou, recovering after a bad illness, going along so well and then bang another problem injury to contend with, totally understandable (and completely human ) to have your motivation knocked to pieces isn’t it? Maybe we need to stop sometimes, gather ourselves together so we can go again, and yes you will, I will, we all will, we climb up, we fall, we pick ourselves up and we climb (or crawl 😘) to the top of the mountain again whenever we can. 🏃♀️🙏🤗
Well when I think it was nearly 30 years ago that I last ran for about 2 years and before that never ran at all. And I’m now 67... I’m doing better than all those who sit on the couch.
I'll let you into a secret - I found the 9k run so tough that I decided that I'd had enough of the Magic Plan. So (perversely) I decided to just grit my teeth and get that damned 10k done without repeating that 9k week. The last couple of k were horrible.
I've been a stickler for following each plan to avoid injury so that was quite the rebel move for me!!! Now I feel incredibly liberated from targets, goals and plans!!!!
I wonder if we all go through running doldrums from time to time? I know I got very fed up a while back as I'd lost motivation and wasn't enjoying it at all. But I've recaptured the joy again and I'm sure you will too. Thinking of Roxdog in particular - I think we all need a bit of Punk Running in our lives. You are totally right - while the Hare's on holiday you can just do what you want - run fast, run slow, run short, run long. Xx
I wonder if it's about keeping our runs 'fresh. So always little tweaks here and there, music/no music, different places etc. Then we can have our own exciting little plans.
Next long run I'm going to run along the Grand Union Canal as far as I can go. I don't know how far that will be, but I love the canal so we'll see.
You little devil, missing out week 9 of the magic plan 😘, I won’t tell anyone 🤣... that makes so much sense Fionamags, it’s all making more sense to me now, I think the Hare may well be encouraged to take a sabbatical rather than a holiday 🤗
Heh heh 👹👹 You are sounding much more upbeat already!!!!
I just thought of something else - why don't you look out that lovely poster you shared with us a while back. It was absolutely beautiful and just captured the essence of why we run. Maybe it will remind you of how you felt when you designed it?
Thank you, 😊 the ground on this ex brown field site has been a great disappointment to a garden lover so it’s been very hard work but we feel much happier with it now. Yes, I think something different could do the trick. I do hope your ankle is improving 🤗
That run sounds great. You needed a change, that's all! Good idea to change plans too, perhaps getting to 10k can wait a little while longer while you start to enjoy running again.
Sounds fantastic and I'm glad you enjoyed running with someone else, something I am yet to develop a like of! 😊
Yes the 10k can definitely wait, it’s only a number after all, I think as Fionamags suggests I need some of your Punk Running...maybe we could get t-shirts ‘Punk Runners Run Wild’, I’m sure someone will improve on that 😁🤗
Ooooh Jorgeruns!! Firstly I love the pic- are they cosmos? Really pretty. Secondly re the feeling flat maybe it’s because we always have been chasing a target, c25k, then 5k in 30 which I have not managed yet either, then the 10k...... I would suggest a week or 2 ‘off’ plan, just go out and run. Not on any plan, go as far (or not) as you want, keep it sloooooow and smell the flowers. Enjoy running for runnings sake and marvel in your ability . That’s what I am about to do and just the thought of no plan, no stress, no fanatical Garmin watching, is making me excited. Maybe it would suit you too? X
I think you need to ease up, take the pressure off yourself, ditch the goals.
I had all of the expectations, and it ruined it for me.
Then I was sidelined after a small RTA on the motorway on a slow return I re evaluated my goals.
Now I set a minimum time, gear on, trot off, totally different experience!
I'm never going to be the fastest, or go the furthest, but I honestly think that if I kept feeling despondent by the comparisons I would have stopped running about a year ago.
Yes Jell6, you are right, that’s just what I need, why is it such a hard thing to learn! I’ve known it, I’ve said it, but struggle to live it.....I think it’s probably about letting go control and it feels unfamiliar, thank you I’ll give it a go 😊🤗
What a great post jorgeRuns I identified with so much of that, some times in striving to achieve times or distance, we put so much pressure on ourselves don’t we? and forget why we started C25 in the first place. Your garden is lovely. Happy running. 😎
thanks lexi6 and yes we do, it’s an ingrained habit which I realise I’m finding hard to break 😆 but definitely worth working on 😊 happy running to you too 🤗
Wow what an interesting post and so many fascinating thoughtfull responses.... it's certainly taken a bit of reading!
I'm so glad you enjoyed my 6 months post, when I moved across to Bridge I kept reading everyone's achievements and it did make me feel I was getting left behind. Then I decided to work on my adapted 2 runs a week 60 minute plan, but I still feel it's a struggle. So for me coming away was brilliant, being able to do my 6 month run somewhere completely new, came at the right moment for me and reminded me of one reason I want to run.
Personally I think there was way too much of being told what we did wrong at school, college and work and not enough congratulations for what we did right. I suspect its a generation thing and it may well have gone too far in the other direction now! We need to be less hard on ourselves, remember to be our own personal cheerleaders and recognise how much we've achieved already.
I hope you have got lots of inspiration from all the replies and your lovely run with an actual live running buddy 😊
For me and I'm sure for you, running has led to loads of other benefits. I now make a real effort to be properly hydrated, try (not always successfully) to choose healthy foods and have started doing a basic HIIT workout twice a week. I'm also far more confident about doing my thing, so this week while I've been away I've happily sat in a field doing Yoga on my own as dog walkers have been wandering past me.... Some of the dogs were very interested though 🤣 🐾
I know you'll find your running enjoyment again and in a few more weeks you will be lifting us up and cheering all of us on xxx
Thanks so much for all this and yes, our conversations on this forum is so so helpful, and yes me too making more effort to do the right thing by my body, hydrate etc, not quite so easy with the mental side, ....as you say lots of criticism not much praise, so important for us to try to balance this for ourselves now. I expect so much from myself and then when I can’t reach a goal I’m so tough on myself. I totally agree about maybe having gone too far the other way, makes me wonder which generation is closer to what’s needed, ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ and all that ?
Anyway, I realise I need to find the joy, in running, in life, and now you’re reply has prompted me to get my yoga mat outside and enjoy some stretching in the cool of the garden shade. I love that you sat in a field doing yoga, the bit about the dogs made me smile, the minute I lay down my mat both my cats are there!
My yoga class went on to Zoom at the beginning of lockdown. It's not the "throwing out shapes" type it's all about listening to what you and your body needs, I know It's helped me enormously.
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Woohoo! Second PB this week 🏅🏅🏃♀️🏃♀️
6 months progress report ....be happy that you can 😆
Vomited after a 5K run 
Famous Names Playlist Kept Me Going
