31 DAYS!!!

Until the Salt Lake City Marathon. And I'm a little nervous.

Training has been a real struggle this time around. Last Saturday I ran 16 miles in 3 hours. VERY SLOW! I cried about 5 separate times on the run because it was so hard. I just cant seem to pull myself out of my running rut. What to do, what to do?

Here's some advice I have for myself:

• Think positively. Your mind believes what you tell yourself. If you say this run sucks, it will probably suck.
• Remember your past accomplishments and try to remember that feeling of achievement.
• Focus on your goal. Remind yourself why it is you're putting your body through the training.
• Visualize success (I sometimes visualize myself crossing the finish line with people cheering me on and throwing my hands in the air as I finish!)
• Re-evaluate your motivation. Is it for the wrong reason? Am I doing this for the love of the sport or because I don't want to be a quitter.
  
• Do you need a change of venue? Is a marathon too much to train for presently in life? Are halfs, 5k's or 10k's, or tri's a better alternative?
• Are there daily reminders of your success? Do I need to hang my metals back up so I see them and remember how hard I worked for each one?

If you find yourself in a rut, do some soul searching to figure out what part of your training needs to change. Lets hope I can figure mine out in the next 31 days!