It's been a hard year for me when it comes to running. I was injured most of last summer and fall. I spent the winter focusing on rehabbing my leg and doing lots of yoga. Physical Therapy was great and I learned a lot - about my body, why I was breaking down and why I was not getting faster. When I started running again, it was slow and short. I got stronger and faster and thought I could race a half marathon this fall. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Life threw me some obstacles and, of course, right around the time of the race! My July half marathon didn't go as planned and it took a little bit to get out of the funk. I was totally bummed- it was one of my slower half marathons. However, I have found some great running friends here in Seattle and they helped me get out of my funk; I ran Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage and just this past weekend, the Woodinville Destination Races Half Marathon. I did both of these events as fun runs and ended up with fast times and feeling great.
Sometimes you need to shift your focus and make races less about a time or a PR and more about the experience and the joy of running. I was able to wave to people on my half, enjoy the scenery and the post race wine and beer tasting event. I'm now ready to run again and focus on specific workouts and racing. I just needed a little fun in between. So, if you find yourself in a running funk or just can't get faster, take a different approach. You might even surprise yourself with the result!
