How many tubes could Megan patch if Megan could patch tubes?
For the past two weeks I've ridden my bike to work every day. It's probably about 3.5 miles one way, though I'll know for sure after fooling with the nifty bike computer I just got. The weather has been perfect to ride, but the thing I like best about the bike is the independence of it. Riding the bus means I have to wait on someone else's timetable, but being able to get home under my own power satisfies that impatient part of me that is really bugged when I have to loiter at bus stops.
There are consequences, however, to using my bike so regularly. Behold:
Those are two bike tubes with a total of five patches between them. I kept finding new holes in them, so I finally gave up and installed a new tube, but for awhile there I was determined to be the most industrious tube patcher in Texas.
I haven't done a lick of running this week. There's a dance troupe in town that's offering some workshops (check them out: Urban Bush Women), so I've been attending those and loving every minute of it. I might write an entry later about why dance classes that have some element of ritual or culture in them really lift up my spirits. My shins are still giving me problems, anyway, so I'm hoping this break will help them heal some.
Truth is, I'm getting a bit bored/frustrated with running lately (am I allowed to say that? will the Running Blogfather put out a hit on me?) Can I whine for a minute? In each running session for about the last month, something has made it a crappy run. Either I've been lethargic, hungry, had a stomachache or a case of the running trots, been overheated, bothered by running shorts that kept creeping up, out-of-breath or pained by shin splints. I feel like I'm failing! Like, for a while there I was getting progessively faster, but lately I've just felt lumbering and oafish and irritated and have been stopping to take walk breaks more and more frequently. It might be the hotter afternoon temperatures that are affecting me, it might be my new running shoes, it might be the repetitive nature of the routes I run with Coach. Regardless, I'm feeling stalled and in a rut.
So, it's been good for me to get back into riding more often and to attend these dance workshops. To have some fun! This week I've been doing some research into adventure racing and reading Outside magazine. I've also been checking out sprint triathlon training programs online. My running focus is wandering.
I get frustrated with my short attention span when it comes to fitness interests. I can't decide if it's a sophisticated mechanism to give-up and revert to slothful habits, or if it's just a natural cycle that we humans go through. Either way, I've been beating myself up and feeling guilty about this lagging interest in running.
What do ya'll do when you get bored?
6 Comments:
Megan,
Why do you run? Why do you want to run? Can you be fit if you don't run? Does running provide something that no other sport can?
I laid off running for 4 months and did other stuff. If I get bored or unhappy I'll do it again in a heartbeat. There are enough things in this life I do because I must. I should derive pleasure from my exercise.
That's my opinion.
Neca
Megan, I feel bored or frustrated with running, too. A lot. It just comes and goes for me. Sometimes I take a full week off and do something else. Sometimes I try a new route. Sometimes I run in the rain, or without a watch, or with someone new.
I think a lot of my frustration comes from comparing myself to other people, to be honest. I find that if I just concentate on WHY I run, as Neca suggested, I find that I really do enjoy it.
One thing that could help - is there anyone you know who has ever said, "I'd really like to learn to run"? Run with that person, the newbie. Do a walk-run with them and be their buddy. That will be a huge wake-up call to your own level of fitness. It will remind you how far you've come. AND it will give you someone to run with in the future.
Email me if you ever want to vent about it more. I'll be your virtual running partner if you want (annalisaATanaphase[dot]com). :)
You're my hero. Biking every day! Hard core!!! Gosh, Megan, I know just where you're at with running, because I'm feeling that way about walking. The thing is, if I just go out there and do it, and remember that it's not a job or an obligation, I do better. But I'm hoping that signing up for races will give me the old lust for life. And dancing is good, isn't it?
I was feeling very uninspired with my running until I set a goal for a summer race that was really important to me and then started training for it. That has opened up running to me in a brand new way. As a matter of fact, I am coming to discover that I really enjoy racing - not because I'm fast :) but because of the personal challenge and the great energy of being with so many other runners. Maybe a few 5Ks would perk you up!
I do find a goal helps. And mixing things up.
The dancing sounds amazing. I have a dear friend who takes dance classes, and I can tell by her mood if she's been dancing recently.
Use your post-workout mood as a litmus test. Ya know?
{thanks for the very kind words on my blog. you made my day!)
You're a-ok and no hit is forthcoming. We all have an eb and flow with everything we do. Sometimes we go with it and other times we go against it. Just depends on what you want for yourself.
Just enjoy...or I WILL send some men in black suits. ;)
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