For anyone that knows me they will not be surprised to hear that I am not the best runner. I have blogged about this before and about being in a running funk and it is happening again. I want to run, I am just not that good at it.
Some people glide along all smiles as they run and others, like me, huff and puff whilst being completely red in the face and wiping sweat from my top lip, forehead, out of my eyes – I mean pretty much sweat everywhere.I do know, however, that this should not be a surprise to me as I have put my cycling and strength training to the forefront this year and so I have absolutely no consistency when it comes to my running and so should not be surprised that when I run 2 or 3 miles I am struggling.Plus the heat! Oh my god the heat – I don’t want to be that typical person who moans about terrible weather and then moans about the heat but wow it makes it much harder (for me anyway).At the end of last year/beginning of this year I followed a run/walk plan to strengthen a knee injury and worked my way up to two half marathons that I completed – albeit not speedy but I got them done. I am wondering whether I should go back to this run/walk method until I feel better with the running?I was looking online for hints and tips about how to get out of a running funk and found a lot to comment on the following:
- consistency is key – I need to work running into my plan and stick to it
- different routes – I found a lot of websites saying that changing up routes can help so will try this as I have a go to selection of routes so change is as good as a rest
- run time based – rather than go out thinking I have to do a certain mileage just go out to run for a certain amount of time
- slow it down – run at a comfortable pace and don’t worry if you need some walking breaks and don’t be afraid of going slow instead be afraid of not trying at all – I’ve been told several times before that I run at the same speed regardless of distance or type of run and that running slow is fine
- short runs are ok – not every run has to be a minimum mileage
- change the scenery – I have hit the trails recently and enjoyed that much more than running on pavement
- never ever judge a run by the its first mile – I often start out and think wow I can’t do this then settle into a rhythm of sorts
- lose the tech – don’t spend your run checking your watch for time/distance/pace – I did this earlier in the year and it definitely worked for me
- rest days – I am terrible at having enough rest and I am told a million times by everyone but I think that I really need to listen now and change that
- mental game – another area I lack in is the mental aspect – I give in too easily when running
- breathing – I recently read a piece by the awesome Bethan over at A Pretty Place to Play that was linking yoga and breathing to running and I am so interested in exploring this more as I often find its not my legs but the breathing that beats me
- trust the process – calm down, don’t worry, don’t hurry and just run – some inspo for this has been coming from the amazing Corey over at Learning Patience as she has been recovering from an injury and getting back into running always with her trademark smile!
To be fair this couldn’t come at a worse time as I have some longer obstacle runs in a couple of months and this weekend I am part of a group of awesome ladies doing the Spitfire Scramble 24 hour relay run. Thankfully we are happy to live up to our team name, Scrambled Legs, and between us are carrying some injuries so happy to do this for fun.I am grateful to those that run with me particularly my friend Emma who is miles quicker than me but very patient and lets me be grumpy and rant and moan – she must be a sucker for punishment ha!Fingers crossed for me! 
Time to reset on my running – any tips you have feel free to share x
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