“I love you, I hate you” — My relationship with running.

Please, tell me you’ve experienced this; that you know what I mean.

I go through cycles of loving and hating running, sometimes even within a matter of days.  I schedule the days and the times I’ll run during a particular week.  Some weeks, it all works out.  I don’t miss a beat, I’m on top of my game, following my scheduled training plan.  I’m — feeling — great!

Then, there are those other weeks.  It all falls apart mid-week.  I don’t want to get out there because (enter valid sounding bail-out excuse dealing with weather, things that have just come up, you name it).  “I’ll do it tomorrow instead,” I tell myself.  It ends up being  a few or more tomorrows, because I can find a lot of excuses.  At the end of a work day, I look at running square in the face and it’s “I hate you”.

I’ve found that morning runs give me less time for excuses.  And, I’m more likely to run first thing — before work or anything else — if I put my running clothes next to my bed the evening before.  Because once they’re on, it’s half the battle to get started.  Then it’s out the door and on the road.  And no matter how long or short, when I get back, I look at running square in the face and it’s “Kiss me, baby, I love you”.  (My wife?  I’ll head to the shower before I tell her that!)