I am a bit Type A. Those of you who know me are laughing at the understatement.
I like to have a plan. I like to have goals. I like to have a list. I function quite well when I have an organized plan of attack and a system to get things done.
I like training plans. I like making training plans. I like following training plans. I followed a training plan for my half marathon in April and ran very well. Then, I transitioned to a different training plan for my 10K PR attempt in June. That race sucked, but it was because of the weather. I redeemed myself at my 10K in July. I followed a pretty organized training plan for my marathon and ran well. I’ve been following a training plan of some sort since February.
Since the marathon a few weeks ago, I haven’t really followed much of a plan. And it shows. My mileage is way down. My runs have all been categorized as ‘easy.’ (except for that one 5K sprint on the treadmill to deal with having a really, REALLY bad day.)
I feel like I’m floundering in my training right now. I have a few races in November. I have a 5K next weekend. I’m not sure what my plan is for that race. I might try to go all out and see what happens. I’ll wait to see what the weather is going to be first. We might end up with Sandy, the Frankenstorm’s, leftovers. I am doing a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Not sure what I’m going to do with that one either. And I’m doing a 15K the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I do know that for that one, Tim and I are going to run it together, along with my cousin, Jason. We are just going to take it easy and enjoy ourselves. And, since I’ve never done a 15K, it will be an automatic PR!
So, as you can see….I’m floundering. I was well prepared to dial down the distance and intensity after the marathon, but I still think I need a goal.
The problem is that nursing school is taking a lot of time. I don’t have a lot of time for long runs, and the weather is quickly getting colder. I don’t like running outside in the freezing cold. And doing anything more that about 6 miles on the treadmill gets a little rough.
So, help me out. How can I stay motivated this winter? I need a way to keep myself going.
