It's not always easy

When Phillip ran the Tough Mudder, I secretly wished I had run it too. 

 Something about finishing like this made me a little envious.

Until I saw these signs. 

So we ran the Warrior Dash instead!

If only we had 'after' pictures to show how muddy we were when we finished.

When Phillip expressed interest in running a marathon, I thought it was a great idea.  The idea of running and finishing one is pretty amazing.  I decided if he can do it, I can do it too.

We signed up in August for our marathon that won't be until April.

The first few months of training went well.  We slowly accumulated miles, ran my first 9- and 10-mile runs, got into a routine.

But then November came, and I hit a mental wall.  For two months I struggled to find any motivation to get out and run.

Finally in January, I realized the marathon that has been looming over my head was just around the corner.  I had to refocus.  I set a goal to run 50 miles for the month to get back in the mindset.  I accomplished that goal, and then some.

Now that it's mid-February, we've got 2 1/2 months left until the big day.  The running hasn't stopped, but the mental wall has set back in.

Phillip has started school, and it consumes 95% of his time.   He's doing so great with it, but the downside is it's seriously cutting into his training.  He got a gym membership to help him stay on track, but it's hard work.

I'm able to keep up with more consistent runs, but there are days where I just don't want to run anymore.  Getting out the door is definitely the hardest part for me. 

Especially when I wake up to days like this.
 

Rain.  Yuck.

I almost didn't go.

I really thought about taking a day off.  Even though I also took Monday and Tuesday off.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, I'll just go tomorrow, I thought.

In the end, I sucked it up. 

Running in the rain didn't turn out to be so bad.  It was only drizzling, really.  You can't tell how wet I was here, or the giant poof ball of a ponytail that I had, but let me assure you, I was soaked, and my poor hair was massive.

Overcoming the mental part of this is really hard.  I'm still in the early stages of the training, and I can't imagine what it's going to be like when I start running 15+ miles.

Phillip and I are good about supporting each other with our training, despite that we run separately.  It really helps having someone else to fall back on.  

And while getting out the door is really hard, and the runs aren't always my best, I have to admit that when I'm finished I do feel pretty good about what I accomplished.

Like running in the rain.

And counting 49 worms on the sidewalks to keep myself distracted.  (So sad I didn't get to 50!)

It really comes down to overcoming the mental wall by just putting on your shoes and getting out there.  It's not easy.  But it has to be done.