When the fun is gone

When the fun is gone what is left? I think most people would agree that they train and race for fun. That said, most people would probably tell you that most of what they do in life is for fun. Why would you do something that isn't fun?

I've recently met someone who is training for her first half marathon. She's having fun while doing it and has commented she will only run for as long as running remains fun. That makes sense to me and I can understand where she is coming from. Again, why would you do something that isn't fun?

I still enjoy swimming (sometimes), biking and running but more and more lately I am not having fun training for this race. Training has totally consumed every aspect of my life. It is all I do and all I have time to do. Some weeks near 40 hours of training and my Saturday's are completely spent working out. I knew this race would be a big commitment but I didn't think it would be to this extent. It is just as draining mentally as it is physically. The ability for me to stay motivated is becoming a little harder each week. I am still excited about this race but a little more each week I am just wishing it was already over. I start thinking about life post-race when I can have my time back. Those thoughts are not good ones to have going into a race that will take all that I have physically and mentally to finish. Training with Peter is preparing my body for this race. What I am worried about now is that my mind won't be ready.

So what happens when the fun is gone...I think the answer for me is that negativity sets in. I don't want to be negative but it is getting harder to find the fun in all this training. Yesterday I had company for a good part of my long run and we talked briefly about a similar topic. A comment was made about how lucky we are to see the world through a much slower pace, running, and how much more we are able to notice as compared to speeding around in cars. Anyone who has run or biked will attest to being able to see a lot more of the world this way. I used to have fun noticing little things that I've never seen before but lately my mind is in other places. I'm not looking around and seeing the beauty in the little things. There is so much beauty out there and I am not taking advantage of the opportunities to see it.

As I sit here writing this blog this morning I am making a promise to myself that I will make more of an effort to have fun these last 10 weeks of training. I will try harder to find the beauty in the things that I once noticed but lately seem long forgotten. I need to shift my mindset from thinking of my training as a chore to reminding myself that I do this for fun. It is a hobby and I am the one that made the choice to do this. When the fun is gone...one must work towards getting it back.