Bounce Back

When I saw this article at Active I wondered when I had time to write it.  Okay...all jesting aside.  Let's just say I could relate and am now on the way back to normal.  Here are some excerpts from the article.  IF you can relate, I hope you will be back up and going again soon.

"Keeping your motivation high is an important part of bouncing back from tough days and rough runs. Learn how to reset your mentality, keep your confidence high and fight negative self-talk when the ugly days come along."

"Hit the Reset Button
Bad days happen to every runner. Think of the worst run you've ever had. A few probably come to mind. Miserable, wet, cold runs that leave you shivering for 10 miles; blistering 100-degree runs that fry your skin and parch your throat; or races that aren't nearly as fast as you'd hoped--these all serve to build character. But to keep them from destroying your love for running, it is a good idea to give yourself an outlined "reset button" to put the bad day behind you and move on with a fresh outlook toward the next."

"Keep Your Confidence High
One of the hardest things about running is trying to keep your confidence high when a string of bad runs or races threatens to tear it apart. All athletes have periods where things aren't going right, but the athletes who manage to overcome this and keep going to see future breakthroughs are the ones who remember that one race does not define a season, and one season does not define a career.

One way to tell beginning runners from seasoned veterans is how much they allow a bad performance to affect the way they view their running or themselves. Runners who have survived years of ups and downs in the sport are able to move on from a bad race without it damaging them beyond disappointment of a lost opportunity. A new runner's confidence is often so fragile that one bad race or even one bad training day can tempt him or her to give up altogether.

Even 10, 20 or 100 bad runs in a row should not be enough to shake your confidence if you run because you truly love it. Remind yourself of why you started running in the first place and that should be enough to keep you going."

"Fight Negative Self-Talk
Sports psychologists teach that most human minds produce about 70 percent negative self-talk and only 30 percent positive self-talk when left alone. During running events, this is particularly dangerous as your mind may limit you more than your body does. How many times during a race or a run have you listened to the part of your brain telling you to quit, that you're not strong enough, not thin enough or not fast enough? Learn how to recognize negative self-talk and nip it in the bud by countering with positive self-talk.

Before an upcoming race or tough run, write down a list of positive mantras to recite when the going gets hard. Your mind must always be filled with something; so to prevent the doubts from filling in empty space, keep the good list rolling through.

No matter what obstacles pop up in training and in life, keep your will and resolve strong by letting the bad runs go, keeping your confidence high and introducing positive mantras into your training and racing."

Let me end by saying that you can pull through.  These tough months kept trying to pull me down.  Even during this time, I gained about 15 pounds...Yikes!!  I've decided to run and workout for my health until I am competitive again.  And, you know what??  I'm beginning to enjoy it.  Yep...my running is improving [even if it is on a treadmill through the summer months] and my overall workouts in the gym have been more pleasurable.  No, I'm not where I "was" before my down time started; but I am looking forward to better times on the road again.  Don't quit!  We all have our days or times in our lives where other things take precedent but when you dig deep you will find all you need.  So get out there and

Run 4 It [you'll feel better when you do]