{ten}

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my half marathon has snuck up on me rather quickly.  we are 10 days out. sunday, october 6th.  i am a little sentimental to this race, since its inaugural event was the first race i ran, almost exactly one year after having brody.  this year will be my third year running the half marathon. 

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as most of you know, i have spent the last few months in a bit of a running funk, if you will.  i have been running, just not much distance, and not enjoying every minute of it.  i'm working my way out of it, but in the meantime... i want to talk about this weeks long run.

ten miles, ya'll.  

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last sunday,  i headed out with the intention of running six miles.  by about mile 3 and a half,  i felt like i was done... i kept pushing until 4 and a half miles.  by then, it was everything in my power to walk the last mile back to the car.  i will admit, i was discouraged.  terribly.  my half was in two weeks, and i could only manage a 5k.  i was under hydrated, didn't eat enough and it was HOT!  blah, blah, blah.  

so, i set another goal for wednesday for another attempt at a long run.  i planned for 8 miles, but was secretly just hoping to complete 6 without feeling like i was miserable.  

wednesday morning, i woke up to it looking like rain.  i didn't need any more excuses for not getting my long run in, so i headed out anyway.  i figured i would get in what i could, and if i had to finish on the treadmill that was fine too.  i headed out to my local park, with the intention of completing two 4 mile loops.  the gloomy-er (is that a word?) it got, it figured maybe i should alter my route to make my first loop a bit longer.  i watched my heart rate monitor closely, and completed 6 miles at a pace that i felt i could sustain.  i stopped for a bit of stretching and some water and headed out for a little longer.  by this point, i was starting to remember how good it felt to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.  i am by all means a second half runner, in that i am stronger on the second half of the race.  so, i decided to attempt the 4 mile loop i had intended on.  

well... i did it! 

ten miles.  and i lived to talk about it.  it wasn't at my fastest pace, but i covered the distance.  and even more... i think i enjoyed it.  

i did alot of thinking during that hour or so, and i decided that maybe you stop enjoying running when it becomes work.  and it becomes work when you stop doing it so frequently.  i think i need some kind of a plan.  after the half, i need to set some goals for how i want to spend the winter months, as it is easy for running to be put on the back burner while the weather is cold.  

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has anyone else dealt with a funning funk?

what helped you break it?

anyone else planning on running the cowbell half marathon in october?!