Running Mojo

If your running mojo was an animal, what kind of animal would it be?

Some one people (the lucky ones) seem to have a mojo like a golden Labrador. Always there for them, reliable, happy, glad to see them, co operates, wags it’s tail and does as its asked. Maybe it needs a bit of training, but will co-operate with training.

Maybe your running mojo is more like a mule? Perfectly capable of doing the job and most of the time absolutely fine: but sometimes, and unpredictably and possibly just when you need it most, it just decides that it isn’t playing. Nothing you can do can get it to work for you try as you might with carrots and sticks then just as suddenly it changes its mind again and gets back to work.

Maybe your mojo is more like a bear, it likes to sleep over the winter?

For the last few months my mojo and I have been getting along quite well. For the first time  ever I’ve been managing a bit of consistency, slow running, averaging a mile a day, not wearing myself out. Enjoying my exercise. I thought that my mojo might look like this;

But this week something happened. One of the girls at work has entered a marathon and I sponsored her. I was chatting to her about it- she’s 50 next year and we talked about training plans and motivation and I was actually fine. But 24 hours later I found myself thinking about it, about me doing a marathon. For the first time in months I was tempted to buy a running magazine in the supermarket! Thinking about the practicalities – not to worry about a time, do I think that I can stay on my feet and keep going for 6 or 7 hours – yes I do. Do I think that I could do better than that with a good training plan – possibly. Have I googled charity places for the VLM and decided which charity I would like to raise money for? Yes I have. Have I thought about my mojo and what is going on here? er, yes-  Is it this?

 

Is it just envy, ‘keeping up with the joneses’ wishful thinking? Or does this represent the final stages of recovery from my burnout earlier in the year?

‘Normal’ me is probably a bit more like this;

For better or for worse as they say in the wedding vows!

But I’ve started to re frame my burnout experience over the weekend. Maybe in my head I was seeing turning 50 as being the end of something (my youth? My productive life?) and so I wanted to do the marathon before I turned 50, to achieve something before it was too late? What would that have said ? I’ve done it, I’m 50, I’m over, nothing left to achieve? If that was what I was thinking, subconsciously, then no wonder I didn’t make it!

If, instead though, I re frame this as a new beginning – start my second half century with a ‘big bang’ – something new and different and a major achievement –  that’s a way of saying ‘bring it on’ ! 50 but not over, there’s more to come and it can be good and it can be fun!

I’m being a little bit cautious though. I am a bit of a Taz and can get caught up in a whirlwind of enthusiasm that makes me take on more than is good for me – so although I’m pleased to see my ‘normal self’ coming back to life I understand that my former, normal self wasn’t always right😊

Realistically, having done some reading, I think my weekly base needs to be about 15 miles per week for a couple of months before starting a marathon training programme.  (I’m currently averaging 7). That can be 15 miles of MAF aerobic running, so if I can achieve that, I will allow myself to enter a marathon😳

So what animal would your running mojo be?

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