Losing Your Mojo

The Mickey Miles podcast had an excellent pod cast this week about losing your running mojo. Chris Trawick was a guest and he nailed every point on the head to what I had recently experienced and now realize was a true case of losing my running my mojo.  It wasn’t an extreme case of mojo loss, but I was in a little slump.  I am also thinking back to this time last year and will have to visit my blog posts to see if this happens at the same time every year.  I do believe that after my fall training and then completing the Dopey challenge, I tend to want to ramp down my mileage for a little while.  But knowing that the Princess half marathon isn’t far off from the completion of those races; I still have to keep my training fresh so I have the miles under my belt for the Glass Slipper Challenge.  But then after that I tend to want to back down on the miles again for a short period before working up again for the Spring half marathons I typically sign up for.  Then before you know it, you look at the calendar and it’s time to start picking up longer runs again in July/August to get ready for the fall races.  So for me it is cyclical.

Mike’s definition of mojo was when it brings you the euphoria from getting out there and doing something that makes you feel good.  Michelle’s definition of it was how it makes you feel about yourself as a runner.  How you feel about your training, your body/weight, your speed.  How you feel about yourself as a runner.  These are great definitions.  I identify running as a major component in my life and when it starts to disappear from my daily or weekly routine I begin to feel like I am losing a part of myself.  My chiropractor recently explained that when it falls out of our regular routine we begin to feel out of whack.

So what is the loss of running Mojo?  They defined it as a loss of excitement about the training and upcoming events, races.  Training can be fun; but sometimes the hard work requires us to get out the door and sometimes something gets in the way from us getting out there.  For me it was recent events at work and home.  I have been very busy and have had some early morning and late nights.

I was having successful races this spring with almost getting a PR for the Cheshire Half marathon, finishing the Middletown Half Marathon at such a great pace considering how hilly it was and also actually doing those races despite my lower mileage during training and a nagging injury.  I think part of my mojo loss right there was the last word in that sentence.  Since February and the long winter that wouldn’t let go; I was dealing with an ankle injury from doing something non running!  I twisted my ankle when my boot got stuck in icy snow.  So I believe that for me, when I am injured, it makes it harder for me since I don’t feel 100% and it makes me hesitant to get out there and add insult to the injury.

If you are experiencing a loss of running mojo, ask yourself , how did you lose it?  Is it from something you did wrong?  Are you injured?  Did a specific event trigger it?  Fitness, weight, stress from home?  Does that throw you out of your rhythm or routine?  Non physical can take the enthusiasm out of it for you.  Fatigue, sickness, over training, boredom, the weather.  There are so many things that can take the fun out of it for you.

How do you get it back?  Well Mike, Michelle and Chris had some great tips for getting the Mojo back.

1. Acknowledge it.  I realized I didn’t have the same energy level back in late April.  I thought something was wrong with my health.  But then looking back to what Chris is saying, if I did just acknowledge that I am in a slump or losing a little running mojo, I could move forward with it.  I was in a rut.  I had lost a little love of running.  But I didn’t want to ever admit that because it is something that I really enjoy.
2. Reset.  Reset the goals and priorities.  I had to refocus on smaller goals.  For me it was getting my butt out of bed again sometimes to get in a run in the morning because for me, a day begins better when I can get a run done early in the day.  It helps give me clarity of thinking and then I feel better knowing I got my workout done early in the day while the kids are sleeping and then I don’t have to lose family time at the end of my work day.  Jeff Galloway said, “A body in bed stays in bed.  A body in motion stays in motion.”
3. Diversify.  I did this this very weekend.  I had the chance to get in two runs in a row on Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday I took the kids out for a 3 mile bike ride.  That was a lot of fun for them to ride their bikes on a road; but it was great for me to get out as a family to do something active.  Try to mix up your workouts.  I want to get weight training back into my routine again as well.
4. Set a goal.  Back off of an ambitious goal you have and start with smaller successes.  Sometimes as runners, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves with our training plans and long runs.  Try doing a few short races so you don’t have the pressure to put in the long miles.  Do it for fun again.
5. A point that I find helpful is friends.  When you run a race with friends it makes the race so much more enjoyable than running it alone.  It also gives you something to look forward to.

So if you are experiencing a loss of running Mojo, listen to the Mickey Miles Pod cast episode 286.  It was just what I needed to hear while I was out on my second consecutive day’s run on Friday afternoon.  I just started making running a priority again and forcing myself to get out there because once I start I know I will feel better.  Sleep is something that I have been needing more of lately; but I know that if I stay up late and sleep late, which means no morning run, then I WILL make it a priority to get the run in after work instead.  If I know that I can’t run after work, then I figure out a way where I will get the run in during the morning.

Are you in a running slump?  It happens.  It happens to the best of us.  Don’t let it get you down.  Acknowledge it and move on.