After so many positives posts on this blog, probably just about all of them, it’s time for a not-so positive one. Wow, that really was a pretty poor opening line, I’d actually be surprised if you’re still reading but assuming you are here goes.

Just over a week ago I managed to win four gold medals at the Australian Masters (as well as four state gold medals). This had been a goal of mine for the last few months and a big release when I finally finished the cross country on Sunday morning after four days of racing. Truth be told I had underestimated the mental side of racing and the affect it can have after the event. Of course I expected the ‘runners low’ and have described this feeling in a few posts over the years but what I didn’t expect was the total local of motivation that became a by-product of the Masters event.

I’m talking more than a runners low here, this was a ‘sit down’ in the middle of a run and contemplate ‘why am I doing this ?’  type feeling.  Legs heavy and unresponsive and mentally just not enjoying the whole running experience. Couple this with plantar fasciitis and a blister from the depths of hell and you have one unhappy runner. On my recovery week I managed four runs for a grand total of 41 kilometres, on a normal week I call that Tuesday ! There was no running at all over the weekend and even on week two things have only improved marginally. I have managed to lace up on both days so far this week but begrudgingly  at best and the runs have been a chore. (albeit good company today running with my work colleague, so if you’re reading this don’t take offence at my morose tone)

What worries me is this feeling has been brewing since I left my family home of 10 years in May last year, it seems becoming a property developer can play havoc with your running. Of course the real reason is when you have so many issues outside running to deal with, life in general I suppose, it can start to affect what you love to do. Running can suffer just because you have too many other distractions, I remember reading an article on why Kenyans are so much better than American runners and one of the main reasons was their ‘uncluttered life’s’. All Kenyans do is run, sleep, drink sweet tea and eat carbohydrates disguised as food. There is nothing else, everything is about running and the search for continual improvement. Of course we, as amateur runners, cannot afford this luxury and have to at least pretend to be interested in life around us be it a career, family matters, paying the bills or the latest episode of the ‘Games of Thrones’. (I have no idea what the Game of Thrones is about but believe it is popular with normal people?)

One of the main reasons I believe my mojo has deserted me is after  the house move I lost my ‘old faithful’ run. This is one where I just fall out of bed into my trainers and next thing you know I’m home after running 10k and excited about the lunchtime run ahead of me. This last 12 months my morning runs, which were daily, have become quarterly, so many times I have planned to get up and run and thought of an excuse not to. This is still an ongoing problem unfortunately and one I don’t expect to solve any time soon.  (Bar my Thursday morning Yelo progressive run but the coffee and muffin at the end makes that run a no-brainer. Maybe I need to do this every morning , could be the answer but probably not an ideal solution ?)

Did someone say muffin and coffee, the Yelo progressive Thursday morning run may save me?

So assuming I can’t run from Yelo every morning (more’s the pity?)  what is the answer ? For me I need to get ‘fixed’ physically and mentally. I have a small case of plantar fasciitis which, although it hasn’t stopped me running, is making it uncomfortable. Mental issue is the real problem. I have been hitting my racing targets this year but each one seems to take a little but more effort than the previous one and a lot more effort than the previous year. Times are holding fast but it really has become a big task to achieve this and any thoughts of PB’s are well and truly shelved, probably for good.  Am I returning to the pack after such a long time at the front ? I hope I’ll get a bit longer but at 51 how long can I hold off the tide of ‘slowing down’ due to ‘getting older’, who knows, a few more years, maybe even fight to last until I’m nearer sixty where I hear you really do ‘jump off a pb cliff’ when it comes to running times, in a bad way unfortunately.

With the Perth Marathon coming in June I need to pull my finger out as I certainly ain’t ready to give up my marathon  sub 3 streak, currently sitting at 27 (I think?). At the moment confidence is high as this is just a temporary road bump on the highway of running and once I negotiate over, or around it, it’ll be back to smooth sailing (on a highway, you get the picture?). i have 4-5 big weeks of training but need to build slowly. A couple of weeks of running once a day but consistently running, improvement is all about consistency. After two weeks I can start to aim for some bigger weekly totals, maybe nudge a 100 mile week towards the end of this training block.

Funnily enough the Bk crew is suffering as well, Mark C. has returned from Boston, where he ran a great marathon, with the same ankle injury he left with, he’s out at the moment. Barts and Mark L. both have issues with blood clots and their hearts, so they’re out. Phil returned to the UK for family reasons, so he’s out. The T-train is out there somewhere doing secret men’s business (and you didn’t hear that from me!), so he’s out. Gareth has hammy issues, so he’s out. Dean has a bad knee apparently, though he just ran a 2:04 for the Perth 32 and third place finish so that knee issues may be more mental than physical,? That’s half the crew missing, luckily Jon, Ross, Damon, Jeff and Mike K. are all fighting fit so I have some company when I find my mojo.

Tonight, to cheer myself up, I ordered a couple of pairs of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus trainers, retail therapy it seems works even for us runners, we’ll see. Certainly feeling a lot better than 10 minutes ago ? It’s amazing what a couple of pair of trainers can do for someone’s mojo, maybe it was there all the time, hiding in my wallet next to my MasterCard ?

So finally some tips to get your mojo back and make reading this sorry post worthwhile.

1. Find like minded people and go run with them, if you can persuade them to drink coffee and muffins afterwards that’s a bonus.
2. Retail therapy. Buying running related items may be the boost you need, works for me and shoes ?
3. Give yourself a goal race to aim for, remember without a goal we morph into ‘joggers’. !
4. Start slow and give yourself easily achievable weekly targets. Nothing boots your confidence more than hitting goals be it a certain pace or weekly distance, running is goal orientated and the more goals we can achieve the happier we are. Some of my favourite runs have been ‘smelling the roses’ type outings where it’s all about just enjoying the sensation of running and enjoying your surrounding without the constant pressure of that annoying Garmin watch.
5. Treat finding your mojo like recovering from an injury because this is where you are really albeit a mental rather than physical injury. Slow and steady for a few weeks to gain some confidence back and also, more importantly, rekindling the joy of running.
6. If you need time off than take it. Go spend some time with your family and friends as this can often remind you why to run so much in the first place, to avoid such un-pleasantries. Only joking but seriously take some down time and maybe even let yourself go for a while, instead of walking past that dunkin’ donuts stand, shaking your head, go and indulge, see what all the fuss is about.  This is basically the same thing you’d do after a marathon or ultra, a down week.  (Just make sure it’s only a week as those dunkin’ donuts can be addictive, apparently?)
7. Try some cross training, maybe some crossfit classes to work on the core or even dust down the bike, or better still the elliptigo ( http://www.elliptigo.com ) Anything to get the heart rate up and maintain the cardio fitness while you take a sabbatical from the thing you love most.