I had two crazy good runs this week. Both were about 5 miles and both came in under the 10 minute pace. I have no idea why they were good. They just were. And I’ve learned not to complain when run goes good. ;o)
Enter the “long run”. It’s not even really all that long. 8.5 miles. I purposely started slow and took it easy. It was chilly, but not cold and not a lot of sun to overheat me.
And it kind of sucked. Again.
I’m beginning to be convinced that my long runs are awful because my mind decides that they will suck. Somehow it’s become ingrained in my head that running long is intimidating. That it’s going to hurt. And I’m filled with dread. Nevermind that I had two awesome runs that really weren’t that much shorter.
By mile 2 I was having phantom pains. You know the ones – you hurt in one spot and then just when you start getting concerned, it stops hurting. A few minutes later a different spot does the same thing. I felt like every step was a fight.
I don’t think I prepare differently on long run days. There’s no pattern of having had the day before be a rest day or not. My shoes are the same pairs I always rotate. So it’s got to be mental.
I’m just hopeful that the next time I have one of my awesome feeling short runs that I can just keep going. I’d like to see how long awesome would last.
I think our minds play a much bigger part in out running than we realize. I have one long route that always gets me and I’m sure it is all in my mind.
Yep, it’s 90% mental and the other 50% is physical……….
The mind is a crazy thing. Hopefully you can figure out a way to trick it and make the long runs seem easier!!! You’ve been logging the miles this week for sure!!
Thanks for the long run reminder. I haven’t gone longer than 6 in the last few weeks. I will run 10 this weekend. I try to remember that I don’t get settled in until at least 4 miles, so any aches and pains before that don’t count, because I am mental, I mean it is mental.
You know how they say abs are made in the kitchen? Not true, they are made in your head. It’s all a mental game. Positive self motivation, determination, and pushing through. Now if I could only convince myself of these things. 🙂
I just did my longest run to date – and it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting! I tried to stay positive through the run, thinking to myself “I feel good, I feel strong” and rocked out 10 miles faster than I was expecting! Totally mental!
I’ve had times like that when I’ve dreaded long runs. So to get through them I like to play silly games. I pretend that I’m just going to go short but go on a route that can be added to if I’m feeling good. Invariably the run goes longer and better than I’d anticipated.
Maybe trick your brain by telling yourself that you’re “only” going out on a 5-miler, then “if you feel good” you can tack on another few miles. Sometimes the “just one more mile” trick works like a charm, and can get you past the mental hurdle. Once you’ve done the longer distance comfortably a couple of times, the mental part should be less… mental.