Stubborn & Unmotivated. HELP!

11 April 2013

Why do I feel bad for taking a day off from running? It's even a scheduled rest day! I take Thursdays off every week, but I still feel guilty!

As you know, I am going to Hershey, PA this weekend. I will be visiting Hershey Park on Saturday, then compete in the 10k on Sunday morning. Although I have been looking forward to this weekend, these events completely mess with my normal running schedule.

Here is what a typical week looks like for me (I start my running week on Saturday):

Saturday: Long Run Day. 12-16 Miles.
Sunday: 7-8 Miles. I've named it my "Long-Short Run Day"
Monday: 5 miles plus the Maniac Mile. 6 Miles Total.
Tuesday: 5-6 Miles
Wednesday: 5-6 Miles
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Rest Day

This week, I have no idea what to do. I am already halfway through and I haven't come to a decision how to organize my mileage. Last week was already a little messy since I had to reduce my long run. I wanted to help my sis pick out her wedding dress. As a result, I put miles in on Friday to make up for the loss beforehand. That means I've had 6 straight days of running. No rest.

I've already decided that I will not do a long run this Saturday. It is completely unrealistic. There's no way I can run 2+ hours before walking around and standing in line for coasters all day. Well, I'm sure I could, but I wouldn't be a person you would like to be around.

I am giving myself a few options at this point.

Run 5 miles before going to Hershey on Saturday. Do the long run on Monday since I'll be off work.
Run 5 miles on Thursday or Friday. No running Saturday. Do the long run on Monday.
Say screw all of the above, take your rest days and don't run on Saturday. BUT keep the long run for Monday.

I really shouldn't be this difficult. Though, I just don't want to sacrifice mileage! I'm so stubborn and unmotivated at the same time.

What would you do?

Do you hate messing with your normal running schedule as much as I do?

Do you switch running days around just to keep up with your normal mileage?

Are you okay with skipping running days because you are too busy for a run or does the guilt catch up with you?

2 comments

Elizabeth @ livingrunningcookingApril 17, 2013 at 3:33 PM
Don't ever feel guilty for rest days! They are probably the most important days. I didn't realize this until my IT band went crazy on me. Now, I value them. I NEVER workout on Friday. It is my rest day. Sometimes I will do some light stretching... but you can't get me to do anything more.