I'm only human

Someone recently commented to me about how much I run and workout.  They commented how they could not imagine devoting that many hours of their day to physical activity, which, in their opinion, is not normal for a human.  I told the person that I am indeed human and go through streaks in my training.  Some days I work out more and have more energy than others. 

I've got a pretty good memory and tend to remember things for long periods of times.  I did a post last year where I talked about the "valley of training," which was written right before I found found I had low iron.  One of the responses was that people just get through tough training times.  Sometimes this involves leaving a Garmin at home, while others it just takes some Patience.  But, it will pass.

This week I feel like I've been in a valley.  I feel like I am beating myself up mentally.  Most of this comes from the fact that I am not running very fast right now.  I keep thinking back to my spring half marathons, where I ran them around a 7:40 pace, knowing now that I don't think I would have a chance to do that, which makes me sad and frustrated.  Shouldn't a person get faster if they are running more, not slower? 

While I still love running, it has been harder to motivate myself to go run because of this mind set.  It is almost like I feel like I am not a good runner because of the paces I am running.  Running is always harder in the summer due to the heat and humidity, but that only provides a little bit of comfort.  Then, I think about the races I've recently done.

In my last race, the Metlife Race Around the World Duathlon, I ran my fastest running (and biking) splits ever (I think).  Before that, I did Madison to Chicago Ragnar Relay, where I had three phenomenal runs.  Given how I performed during those races, I feel like I should be training better. 

I know marathon training is a totally different ball game compared to anything else I've done before.  It is a different mindset than running a half or one of the shorter distance races. 

I hope I climb out of the valley I'm in soon.