In case you didn't pick up on it from the title, this post is not really full of happy thoughts. I'm not in a good place with my running right now, and this post is largely a discussion of what I'm struggling with. If you're looking for chipper and cheery, this is not the place today...

My running has been less than stellar lately.

It seems like every run is slow, painful and down right miserable.

I know I'm coming off a series of injuries, and I certainly don't expect to jump right back in and be at the same levels I was before. But I've been working to lay down a solid fitness base for a while now, and my lack of progress on the running front has been disheartening.

It's making my couch look more and more appealing and making me want to cast my running shoes to the back of my closet.



Last week I ran three times -- two four milers and a six miler -- and none of them were very good runs.

Tuesday, the weather was nice and I wasn't trying to push it, but by the last mile I was gassed. My legs felt like lead and I wanted to throw in the towel and walk the rest of the way home.



My runs on Friday and Saturday weren't any better. In fact, I think they were a lot worse. Despite lots of stretching, I was so, so sore and tight the entire time I was running. The distances felt like a terrible struggle, my legs felt like bricks and everything about the runs was unpleasant and miserable. (Except maybe the weather, which was pretty gorgeous, so at least I got to enjoy being outside in nice weather.)

I posted a photo and a rather disheartened comment on Instagram after my miserable six miler on Saturday.


This photo with the comment "All my runs have been extremely sucktastic lately.

A few of you left me some nice comments back about how I have a lot on my plate and I shouldn't worry about pushing it too hard right now. And deep down I know that's true. Between work and teaching, I've definitely got a lot going on. But it's hard to find motivation to get out there and keep running when every run is a struggle.

I used to love running so much and now I feel like it's a battle every day to convince myself to get out the door. After the weeks I've had struggling to get my running mojo back, I totally understand why some people hate exercise.

Why would you keep pushing yourself to do something when it hurts, when it's miserable, when it's not fun? Seriously, my sofa and Netflix queue are a million times nicer to me right now. My running has sucked. It's been awful and miserable, and I totally understand why people wouldn't want to put themselves through that on a regular basis. Hell, I'm starting to question why I do.

In the back of my mind, I'm really hoping this is just a phase I can push through and eventually get past -- that running will become enjoyable again and I will look forward to pounding the pavement and not dread it like I am right now. That running will go back to being a stress reliever rather than a source of stress.

In the meantime, I guess I'll just keep gritting me teeth and pushing through because that is after all what I do.

(Sorry for the major downer of a post today. This whole "running currently sucks" thing is really bumming me out, but because I don't want to leave you on such a sour note, here's a picture of the gorgeous tulips that are currently blossoming in my apartment. I love the red and yellow -- it makes them look like they are on fire...or that they're Terrapin Tulips because they're red and gold.)