It’s not that I ever really fell out of love with running, you guys know me, I’m addicted, it makes me happy, I’m passionate about it. Having said all that, I have been in a funny place where I feel like I’ve totally lost my running mojo, or another way to put it, running and I have been dating a while, at first we were hot and heavy but now the spark has fizzled. Sad. Confusing. Frustrating.
To my delight, this all changed a few days back. I wasn’t planning on running that day, but a last-minute decision put me up on the beautiful, sunny local trails here in SoCal. I didn’t have any set miles in mind, I didn’t really have a goal that day, I was just there to run. It wasn’t too far into the run when I was overcome by a really happy feeling, everything felt just right, I was hitting my stride,
I was feeling great, I was totally dialed in to my run and taking in all of the gorgeous scenery around me. I turned off my iPod and listened to the sounds of my own breath, the sound of my feet hitting the trail, the sounds of nature. I didn’t run particularly far or particularly fast that day, but I did run happier than I had in a very long time. My running love spark was back, and I couldn’t be happier. For the first time in a very long time I didn’t feel like I was struggling or fighting an uphill battle, I felt good.
It’s hard to really put my finger on what flipped the switch that day, but I can say to those of you who find yourself in the same running-mojo-less place as I managed to find myself in, just stick with it. You’ll get back to your happy running place eventually,
just keep pushing forward, remind yourself why you do what you do, think about the first time your toed a start line and the first time you had a medal placed around your neck, remember how good it feels to finish a race, be it a 5k or a marathon. I repeat, stick with it! 🙂
Running is my passion, even when it isn’t. I run because I WANT to, not because I HAVE to, and I hope you all do the same! To all my struggling running babes out there just remember, the difficult, pain-in-the-ass, struggle-fest runs only make us appreciate the good ones that much more!
xoxo, MLL
Mile Long Legs 
Thank you for this post. Really needed this today. I ran a particularly hard half-marathon yesterday in blazing heat and this is just what I needed to read. I have been struggling with my running lately as I am prepping for a marathon in September (my first) and was wondering if I would ever make it.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Marie-Guy
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Glad your mojo is back Kim! I find that running in the hot, humid summer months really tests my resolve, but when it cools down, all those hot summer miles pay off. Running really is a passion that, I think, makes us better people both physically and mentally. Keep up the good work!
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Thanks Steve! I appreciate your encouragement! I think the loss and gain of mojo happens to all of us runners at one time or another. And I agree, running makes us better as a whole! 🙂
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MLL: Thank you for your blog. I’m sitting here reading, looking for a bit of inspiration to get my stuff together and head out the door for a run. Right now I’m a treadmill queen, and I run purely for fitness purposes. And maybe I’ll never make it off the treadmill and run organized races, but reading about exploits like yours certainly keeps me motivated. It’s a very cool thing to me that maybe in some tiny way the minimal running I do on the treadmill grants me membership to such an amazing fraternal society of true runners.
Thank you!
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Glad you feel good running again! It is good to take a short break. sometimes that is just what you need!
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Dear MLL, I found a picture of you on Pinterest and that is what brought me to your site! I recently fell in love with my running……again!! Thank you for being out there!! Your picture added to my motivation!! Happy running!!
Tony
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I’m glad you found me Tony! Thanks for the support and I’m so happy to hear that you’ve fallen in love with running! 🙂 Keep on running and feel free to stop by and say hi anytime! 🙂
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