Shut Up and Believe in Yourself!

"I'm still dreamin' still a believer"


     For my first blog back and all after such a long time, I suppose yesterday, was a bit depressing really. But can you blame me? You'd be depressed too! The hardest part I think, is that I'm running perfectly fine in practice. I mean, I'm still cruising through practices in 5:50-6:00 minute pace. For my long run the other week I did 11 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes (a.k.a. 6:48ish). So if I can run 11 miles that fast why does it seem so impossible to run my races only a minute faster?

    So yeah. I am still injured. And my legs hurt all the time. I'll grant you that. But I'm tougher than that...aren't I??? (right?!?!?) alright.
    Number two. Did I overtrain? potentially. There's no reason on God's green earth that at the beginning of the season I needed to be doing 3 hard workouts a week plus a race. alright. alright I get that too.
   Reason number three. Confidence level: 0. The capability is there. It's the belief that I can not find. I fully realize this. I know it's a problem and I know I have to work on it. However the how is what I'm currently not sure of how to do. HOW  do I get my confidence back? Any suggestions?

     Never have I experienced anything more disheartening than to realize that I have the ability, but that my mind may be the thing blocking me
 SOLUTIONS: 
1.  Negative talk. Negative thoughts. NO MORE. Anything that includes "I'm injured. I'm old. My legs hurt. I'm slow." It all needs to stop. I can not move on until it stops.
2. I need to stop OBSESSING about the reasons why or why  not I'm not running fast in races. I need to stop worrying about not running fast. The more I worry the slower I run. I mean seriously--you try running with all of that stuff bogging your mind down. It's stressful. Of course I can't run with such a huge weight on my shoulders.
3.  Above all I love running. I love it more than anything in the entire world and I need to stop pretending that that isn't  true. I need to remember that I love it for what it is and why I fell in love with it in the first place.

Ready. Set. Go.