The more you love something the harder it is to stay away from it

I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to running. I obviously love to run but I hate not being able to run. At the moment that a run ends, I'm already thinking about the next run and when it will be.

These, then, are the difficult times for me. Knowing that I'll be unable to run for the next three days, which will seem like an eternity, will test my patience for sure. Oh, I'll still workout on my exercise bike and maybe even lift some weights, but staying away from my passion is not something that I like to do for more than a few days.

I was actually hoping to get out today for a little run, anything, just so I could get my "fix." I know a few friends who have been injured and have had to take up to 3 years off from running. That thought scares me as I honestly don't know what I'd do if I couldn't run on a consistent basis.

This down time will force me to look into other avenues to get my exercise in and I've come to realize that I better start embracing these more. Like anything else, it's all in the mind. If I don't get motivated to do some exercise, even if it's not my preferred choice, than it becomes easier to just do nothing.

With my race 3 months away and as my mileage begins to go up and up, it will be important to stay as mentally sharp as possible. I've started to have dreams about what running for 10 hours will be like. There is an element of fear that I must overcome and much of that I won't know until race day. Having run for 6.5 hours already and knowing how difficult that was, the thought of running for an additional 3.5 hours is something that I'll have to experience only on race day. I'd like to get at least one 6.5 hour run in before the race so my body can get adapted to it. I've already decided to run a 50 K run in Niagara Falls in late February which will probably take 5 hours.

While I ride my bike tomorrow morning, I'll no doubt have thoughts about what running means to me and I'll be wishing that I could be out there pounding the pavement/trails with my friends. At least my feet will be thanking me but my mind surely won't.