After several months of firing out blog posts every few days, I've fallen into a slump. No ideas. No inspiration because I'm not excited about running right now...... and although I refuse to panic, it IS a concern. This is a first for me, at least since I proclaimed myself to be a runner. I hope that if I remain positive I'll be able to successfully weather through it and recapture the LOVE. Then it will become a useful resource for future slumps. So I'm perusing potential remedies such as:
New songs on the playlist. ANY change to the "same old" is good. I've added a couple of new ones, "Billie Jean" by MJ, and "Rolling in the Deep" by Adelle, but sometimes I just want to revamp the whole list. However, coming up with close to 50 new songs is not going to happen, even though, no doubt, iTunes would appreciate the revenue.
New running clothes. Although I am a complete sucker for a new outfit, particularly when found on a clearance rack -- I don't need anything. Being a die-hard shopper, <actual need> seldom motivates my purchases; however, sometimes I just can't ignore the lack of it. I just bought some jazzy new socks in assorted festive colors which I really DID (sort of) need, but they're not pulling me out the door. I already have more shorts than I can wear in a week and too many t-shirts as they are often parceled out at running events. I'm also well stocked in sunglasses - extra dark and gradual-tint, three hats that are more helpful during the rainy season which this isn't, and my shoes have another three good months left in them. Sometimes I wander through running stores in search of a new and intriguing gadget promising to invigorate my whole running routine, but so far .... nothing. Sigh.
Sign up for another event. Really?? I'm IN CHARGE of one in a few weeks and am team captain in the one after that. Shouldn't that be enough? Sheesh.
Run with fun people. I ADORE my running friends BUT I usually can't keep up with them and I've found THAT can be counter-productive.
Expore a new route. My town is small. I've covered it like a two-year-old scribbles on paper - over and over, around and around. I know every sidewalk and intersection like my own closet. I could get in my car and drive to the next small town, but ... well, I'll think about that.
Appeal for help from my facebook group. Did that today. Encouragement and advice poured in. FRP trotted out Beyonce, meaning her Single Lady video. Motivating maybe... but no amount of hill work nor intervals will ever give me hips like that. THAT ship has sailed.
This morning I scrounged up some umph and ran up Zimri. Every time I face that hill it's a battle. If I don't walk, I win. If I walk, it wins. Last time I lost, but this time I won. That felt good. That helped. Maybe, just maybe, the answer to this slump is all too simple. Maybe the remedy is just to run. Maybe.
Well Brenda, you have arrived where I found myself a long time ago. Now you run because it is what you do to stay healthy. I go run every morning that I can, not because I get any great thrill from it, but because I know I will feel better all day if I do, and it is the best health booster on earth.
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