New Altitude, New Attitude

When it comes to my running, over the past few months I have had my ups and downs.

I have had my bad stretches, dealt with heat, with soreness, laziness, and struggled through runs.

I have had great stretches, setting PR's, running longer distances, and feeling healthier than I have in a long time.

Then I moved to Denver.

I was stubborn, and thought that the altitude wouldn't really affect me. I was wrong. 2 weeks later, I'm still huffing and puffing more, but I'm getting there.

More than that, I have found myself getting frustrated. Since the move, I have basically had to start from scratch. The first run, I hit 1.25 and couldn't do any more. Slowly but surely, that has increased. I have still been obsessed with my time though, and beating myself up when I can't keep my speed up. 9 something miles have transformed to 12 somethings, or 11 somethings, and that gets disheartening. As much as I love the elevation and the mountains, they're killing my confidence!

Last weekend, I ran with some people that helped me change my perspective. I don't know if I'd call it an epiphany, but something definitely clicked. I had a great conversation about my need to get over myself and my competitiveness. My frustration has led to lack of motivation. Lack of motivation has led to lack of results.

So I tried something new. For the first time since December, I did not time my run. I just went. Didn't care about speed, or pace, or time. Just me, my music, and the pavement. And you know what? It worked. I know it was slow, but it was almost a half mile farther than I have made it since I've been here, and I could have kept going if I pushed, and didn't have to go to work. And I wasn't frustrated. I felt good!

So I think this new revelation is one to stay. Forget the things that cause the negative. Leave it all behind. And once again, focus on the love for working out. For being outdoors.

For running.

"Today I will do what others won’t, So tomorrow I can do what others can’t"