Monday Motivation: Sometimes, it's gonna suck.

Doesn't sound very motivating, I know.

But it's true, and I discovered this on my run yesterday. All in all, it was a great run, and I was excited to knock out a 10-miler to get myself back into distance training mode. But the humidity was killer, the hills seemed to stretch on forever, and the rocky, gravelly portions of trail seems to be taunting my ankles as I could feel the uneven surface try to roll my foot one way or another.



Going into the run, I thought, "Yeah, this is going to be a tough one."

During the run, I knew, "This is gonna suck."

Three-quarters of the way there, I almost cried out, "God-DAMN this really sucks."

Then, I was finish. And I realized it all wasn't that terrible.

Why am I writing about this? Because unlike other posts out there that will tell you out to wrestle with your inner doubt and come up on top and make the most of your workout, yesterday's run had nothing to do with doubt, fear, or uncertainty. I know me and I know my abilities and some runs are just going to be hard, whether or not I want them to be. My kind-of-sucky 10-miler was simply a lesson in patience and mental fortitude, because there was no room for error when it came to my pace or footing. I had to simply put on foot in front of the other, pay attention, not get antsy and charge up the hills to wipe myself out, and not pay attention to mile splits.

Whether it's a tough run or a tough day workout, sometimes you have to dig in and plow through, even knowing there won't be any euphoric "runner's high" or other reward to look forward to at the end. There will be days when, unlike what we've been told by inspiring Pinterest boards, the workout is NOT going to make us less stressed, less cranky, and definitely not less sore.

But to be frank, if I only decided to go through each day on a guarantee that it would be a perfect one, well, I'd never get out of bed.

So find a way to embrace the hard days. Know that it's gonna suck, and be OK with that. I think I have some really crappy runs to thank for some of the more fantastic ones I've had!

What was your best, worst run/workout?

One of my best worst runs was the Sunrise 8K in Simpsonville, SC. It was a hot morning, even for starting right at 6:00AM and I think I had to stop twice as my stomach tried to turn itself inside out after running too hard up a series of hills.

Me trying to wave my sister off to stop her from taking this picture.