Sum Parts

I ran 10 miles last week. 3, 3, and 4. Following basic runner philosophy, I can increase my weekly mileage by 10% this week. So... 11 miles = 4 + 4 + 3.

But I'm having one of those moments when I see an 11 mile week planned, and think I'll never get back up to the 20 mile weeks. Or the 30's. We were reviewing how my Ragnar training fell apart, and I never hit a 15 mile week in all the weeks leading up to it. I haven't honestly trained for a race since last year's Turkey Trot. So no wonder I'm struggling right now.

This is the thing I've been afraid of- stepping off the wagon for so long that the climb back on feels impossible. It's not just about finding the motivation to get today's 4 mile out of the way. It's the dedication to put my head down and start piling up the miles every week so I can build up a solid foundation. Building a brick house takes SO LONG when you're crafting each brick one by one, day by day.

I volunteered at the Tough Mudder this weekend while my husband ran it. I was a little jealous, but not much. I threw myself into volunteering and it was fun. I thought, "I have 12 months to train for this race. I should really get to doing that." It's definitely not an endurance race like we usually do. He said the longest run was less than a 5k. And there's the upper body strength factor. And the mud factor. And the discomfort. To build a training plan for myself that would get me up to all of that would seriously take a year. I think.

Another terrible metaphor: I'm so busy staring up at this tree in front of me, wondering how I'm going to climb it, that I can't even imagine how to get through the giant forest of trees it's going to take to get myself back in shape.

#frustration