Getting My Mojo Back One Mile At A Time

Evidence of my solid run this morning.

There's no denying it. I was in a running funk.

There wasn't just one thing that caused it but rather a combination of a number of factors which conspired against me.

After posting an incredible 9-minute PR at the Knoxville Marathon in March, things went south for me the following months. Part of it was due to recovering from the marathon, a job change at work was another culprit, tons of travel for work didn't help and the normal course of everyday life factored it.

In fact, the funk had been so bad and lasted so long, I was seriously concerned about things as I began this new training cycle in preparation for the Spinx Carolina Marathon.

Yet, three weeks into training, and I've got my mojo back.

Changing Things Up From The Original Plan

Sometimes life gets in the way of our plans. When this happens, all we can do is reassess, adjust and move forward.

No need to get bitter or upset over it for I don't see a goal denied as the end of the road. For me, a goal denied is merely a goal delayed. Just because I won't be accomplish something right now does not me I won't be able to compete the task somewhere on down the road.

All year I had been saying 2014 was the year I'd become an ultra marathoner. I even went as far as finding a race to get baptized into the ultra world: the Triple Lakes Race - a 40-miler in Greensboro, N.C., in October.

Yet, after number of changes in my life, I am having to put this dream on hold. With my new job and unsure what all it will entail and encompass, I wasn't sure I'd be able to train properly for this race. Also, the 40-miler is a trail race, and I usually can't get on the trails around here until October and November.

But have no fear, I have a race all lined up.

3 Race Recaps In 1? Sure, Why Not?

Chugging along in the Panerathon EXPO 10K

Yes, it has been forever since I posted an update. What can I say, life's been crazy. But just because life's been going a mile a second doesn't mean I have not been running.

I had some slow going following the Knoxville Marathon, not really logging the miles I'd like. Apparently, the marathon took a lot more out of me than I had realized at the time. That's OK. I PR'ed so the tradeoff has been worth it.

Over the past couple months, I did run 3 races. Nothing spectacular but fun nonetheless. I had a pair of 5Ks and a my first-ever 10K. (Yes, I know I've ran 8 or 9 half marathons and 4 full marathons. Guess I like to do things out of order.)

The first race was the Ultimate Climb 5K on May 3, while the 10K was the EXPO 10K on May 24. Lastly, I ran the CoSIDA 5K on June 10. All 3 were very different races, but all 3 were fun experiences.