Needing a New Spark

Next weekend, February 16-17, marks the first "official" week of my training cycle for the North Face 50 miler, set for Saturday June 1. And I must admit I am starting to feel a bit apprehensive. The last few weeks I have not trained like I had intended to. My plan had been to run regularly during the week and then build up my weekend runs to 16 plus miles. Well, that just hasn't happened.

Unusually cold/icy weather and a busy work schedule have led to a recent lack of motivation and lower milage than I had hoped for. Like anytime I take a break, getting back to a regular schedule is always tough, but for me the cold weather is only making it more difficult.

If you know me at all you probably know I am not a fan of the cold weather. In fact I hate being cold more than just about anything. Add waking up at 5:00 am, heading out the door to hit the road by 5:30 am is almost unimaginable and even a little nutty.

Sometime, though, it is not the cold that keeps me from running, but my crazy, wacky schedule, especially on the weekends. January and February are typically very busy months for me. Nearly every weekend I am working an event; a swim meet, a gymnastics meet or a 5K for =PR=. In all cases, I enjoy my work and love being a part of such events, but it does often mean that I have to skip a run or two.

I know that, just like I tell my kids, the first couple of runs back are always the hardest. And I know I need to just get out there and run and within a week, I will be back to "normal". I know an early morning run with my friends always start my day out right. It will only take a few days and a few runs to get back in the swing of things and I know I will be ready to train and ready for the 50 miler when the time comes. I just need the spark to get myself going again!

I will find that spark, I will run tomorrow and I will start my training cycle this weekend. Sure, I will miss some runs, here and there, but I will keep trying to get out there and I will succeed! I will train hard and have fun and on June 1 I will cross the finish line of the North Face 50 miler side by side with the Honey Badgers and know that I found my spark!