I ran into summer, full of hopes and plans. If you recall, I was pulling in post-injury PR after post-injury PR, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Training was great. Everything was moving in the right directions. I was motivated and excited to start planning for a half marathon in January. And then summer hit. Record-breaking temperatures and humidity smacked me back to earth, and my speedy runs turned into long walks for safety’s sake. Frustrating? Absolutely. But we can always rebuild the run.
Running Is Fluid
As annoying as that is, running exists in waves. There is no way to perform at our top level at all times. Instead, we have to surrender to the ebbs and flows of our bodies, our goals, and even external influences. If we are sick or injured, it’s time to back off until we are stronger. Different race distances mean different training plans. And stifling heat and poor air quality requires us to step it back until it’s safer.
The Body Remembers
One of my toxic traits is thinking that once I’ve eased up on my running, my body will forget what to do when I’m ready to ramp it back up. This is both false and unfair. Even though most of my “runs” right now are a combination of walking and running (heavy on the walking), my body knows what to do. We will get back to our pre-summer endurance and pace.
Consistency Is Key
No matter what happens on those hot summer days, getting out day after day is critical to rebuilding once things to cool down. Movement begets movement, and maintaining the habit of logging miles, no matter how slow or fast, will pay off on colder days.
Give Yourself Grace
As with all things, it’s important to give grace to and be gentle with yourself. Nothing is written in stone when it comes to running, and no matter how hard it is to get through the tough times, it all cycles around eventually. Stick with it, and you’ll be back!
Will you be rebuilding your run after summer?
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We are on the same page this week. I have really struggled with a warmer than usual summer filled with humidity. I am right there with you. Fall is coming! We will make it
Deborah Brooks recently posted…How to Get Your Running Mojo back
come on, fall!!!!
Good reminders here! We can’t always be running our best. For many, summer is a great time to back off a bit. That speed will return once it finally cools down!
That’s what I’m hoping!
I better since I have a full in Nov and a half in Oct.
But yes it’s been a rough summer and my mojo is very low.
But as you said, it will come back
Ha! You’ve got this!
Thank you. I needed this bit of inspiration. I too have been feeling the heat and even though my brain knows this happens every year, I still felt deflated. It hasn’t really started to cool down here yet (though we had a couple of great days this weekend) but I too know that it will get better and my training will get back on track.
It’s been extra rough this year. I hate it.