Okay, here I go. Running. Left the house. How far will I go? I am supposed to go 14 miles…but there are so many reasons that I can convince myself not to go that far. So, so many…

The entire first half of this and seemingly all long runs is a mental battle, constantly pondering my excuses for not going the distance that I plan to go away from my house before turning around. Literally. The first 7 miles I had no idea if I would run just 10miles today, or maybe do a half marathon which seems entirely legit, or if maybe I would run the full 14 that was on my training plan. All the excuses in my head seem 100% legit. I even turned around at the point that would have been a half marathon, and then decided that was dumb and turned back around to finish it up.

It feels so good when I finish the full amount, but will I ever get over the struggle?

I’m not convinced I will.

This is why I love races. It gives me a ‘must do it so that…’. I love the feeling I get after long training days and weeks but I only do it with something on the calendar.

We all must find our own motivation.

What’s yours?