A Recap of sorts..

I completed a 1000m breaststroke swim on Thursday morning and I had the lane all to myself! There was a couple in the lane beside me so the pool wasn't completely empty, but I didn't feel rushed to finish so I actually enjoyed the workout a lot better than the one I did on Tuesday...

On Thursday evening I went for a walk. It took me a long time to finish, but to be honest I wasn't in a rush. It was a moment for me to decompress from the day. It was quiet and peaceful and just short of perfect...

Friday was supposed to be the day for my hill training. The plan was (is) to start incorporating a hill routine into my training to help with speed work and improve the general strength in my legs. A lot of my running friends talk about the importance and benefit of hill work and have encouraged me to try and start running them...

Since there is only one park nearby that has anything resembling a "hill" (albeit man-made) I have to coordinate my training around the park's open and close times. which means my only real option is to go there after work. However, Friday after work the only thing I wanted to do was eat food and go to sleep. I was in a lousy mood (not sure why) and I just wanted to be grumpy by myself. So that's what I did. When I get in this mood I turn on Hulu+ and/or Netflix and get lost in the lives of the characters in my favorite shows...

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Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. I haven't lost my passion for running but I've been noticing (especially this year) that the stresses of the day, that normally push me to train harder, have been distracting me. And recently I've been feeling tired ALL the time.

Even with races scheduled my motivation seems to fluctuate! 

Sometimes I think Dave Bedford is 100% correct...

But then I come across quotes from other runners who have dealt with setbacks and challenges in their training, who have felt the bitter sting of disappointment despite undeniable preparation, and who still stay motivated throughout the undulations of their running career...

So really, I have no excuse right?

Today is an open-water swimming "dress rehearsal" kind of day. Which basically means I am going to the beach and will be attempting to swim against the waves. It will be interesting (and challenging) but will hopefully give me some insight into what to expect for Swim Miami next week. Wish me luck! :)

What are your plans for the weekend? Anyone racing?

What do you do to rev up your motivation for running and training?

How often do you do hill work?