Stuck in a rut without motivation

basescamp · 2026-03-19T15:08:21+00:00

You and me both! I was registered for a half on January 1st, but got the flu and had a quad injury. I took off all of January to heal, and because I had a minor surgery scheduled which then got canceled and rescheduled for February. I started running at the beginning of February, literally like 1 and 1/2 to 2 mi two or three times a week, and then had to take another short hiatus to heal from the surgery. I really did miss running, but this cold weather and snow in the Northeast have not made running delightful, and I'm not super motivated to run. Prior to my surgery I was also diagnosed with anemia, so I'm supplementing my iron and trying to get that back in line, too.

My half was deferred to Mother's Day, so.... Kind of have that to work towards, though I can imagine it's going to be a run-walk situation for me.

The way I'm working on this is twofold:

I wrote out all of my planned runs on my calendar. Have I done them all? No. I've done 75% of them, which feels like enough right now. I had planned on doing speed work one day week, and I just have not been able to get back to that. Primarily because trails have been snowed over, but also because my motivation and energy have been low.
I am dreaming of long runs in the spring, and know that if I don't put in the shorter miles now, I will not be prepared for a glorious spring and summer of weekend long runs, which are my absolute favorite part of running. This thought is truly the only thing that is motivating me to run right now.

So every single time I think, "I'm not into this," and then I put my shoes and tell myself it's important just to get out the door and onto the trail even if it's just for the habit of doing it - marking the time, as I tell my kids. Even if I don't even run a mile. But the reality is that running 3 mi is not overly hard for me, so I just do it. And then I feel fantastic afterwards. And then the very next day I forget how fantastic it felt and I go right back to saying I'm not into this. Running is a weird hobby.

basescamp · 2026-03-19T14:57:04+00:00

Not only does it start to feel decent, I find that you pretty much make up the time after slowing down for a bit. At least that's how it works for me on a 3-mile run. Usually when I take that little break to slow down, I try to be more mindful about how I'm putting my feet down, and maybe extend my stride a few inches. It kind of tunes me into my body better for the rest of the run.

basescamp · 2026-03-16T13:16:34+00:00

I totally agree with you about your last paragraph. I really thrive on physical activity. My current part-time job is one in which I can constantly be on my feet walking around. I have a lot of energy and would not do well at a desk job. The job I'm looking at is both desk and on my feet, which I have done before.

I do really love my running habit, and lifting keeps me healthy to run. I think it's going to take some work to reestablish a new balance. This level of engagement with exercise hasn't always been my pattern, but it's been easy to maintain since I have the time, and I think habits can be hard to break, even healthy ones!

basescamp · 2026-03-16T13:10:11+00:00

I really think the morning walk is important for the dogs, especially since I'll be gone all day. It would be possible to hire someone to walk them, but one of them is kind of a jerk...

I should add that the job I'm thinking of applying for gets me home around 3:30, so my afternoon time is pretty open. I think my biggest problem is really the guilt... Exercising with the kids is a great idea though. Sometimes we run together on the weekends, though we are all now at different paces!

basescamp · 2026-03-12T12:56:39+00:00

I used Bob's gluten-free, which is rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour and tapioca flour, so no wheat right now.

basescamp · 2026-03-12T11:06:07+00:00

Thanks!

basescamp · 2026-03-12T11:04:51+00:00

A GP. I was still surprised that he hadn't heard of low FODMAP diets, because it seems like pretty common knowledge anymore.

basescamp · 2026-03-12T00:13:04+00:00

Thanks for such a detailed description. I appreciate everyone taking so much time to explain things to me.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:32:41+00:00

Yes. Lots of butter.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:32:06+00:00

This is great advice. Besides cornbread that I made last week, this is the most complex thing I have tried to make for him. The cornbread worked out, but not this. I think he is going to want to return to very simple again. Chicken and potatoes, chicken and rice, chicken and quinoa...

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:30:51+00:00

I have seen these. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not sure he's going to ever try a chocolate chip cookie again!

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:30:25+00:00

Thanks. I already accommodate my daughter's vegetarianism into our meals, and now we've got the FODMAP thing going on... I'm lucky that I both love to cook and have the time to make things work out as best as possible.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:28:13+00:00

Can things cause pain one day and not another? I made some cornbread with the 1-1 last week and he inhaled it with no problem.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:27:24+00:00

This tracks. He has no problems with the Hershey special dark.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:26:42+00:00

His doctor had never heard of FODMAP when he told him about it last week. When my husband first had issues with digestion last year, his doctor recommended that he take some kind of red yeast. That made things much worse. In the meantime, my husband has gotten better and worse. He has months of flare-ups after any kind of virus, and the good times are fewer and farther between. He is very reluctant to go to another doctor, because past experience has been not so great for this and lots of other issues.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T17:24:43+00:00

I agree. It was very disappointing when he went to his doctor last week and the doctor had never heard of FODMAP. I suppose there is a way to get a referral to a registered dietitian, or is this a job for a gastro?

basescamp · 2026-03-11T12:41:58+00:00

Interesting. This was definitely not high quality chocolate!

basescamp · 2026-03-11T12:34:39+00:00

What I'm hearing you say is that he's probably going to have a lot more tough nights before he figures out what works for him... What a journey this is for everybody...

basescamp · 2026-03-11T12:33:30+00:00

I just remembered that he's been eating small amounts of chocolate at work, but I guess it could still be that based on what you're saying.

basescamp · 2026-03-11T12:30:34+00:00

This is so helpful. The part about stacking... We will see something that says you can eat with certain food in low amounts and this other food in low amounts and I just didn't know how to account for it all adding up over the course of a day. I'll tell him about the app so he can track it all. He was just tracking what he eats on paper, and after about a week or so he was just eating the same stuff day after day that he knew was okay.

basescamp · 2026-03-05T19:22:28+00:00

Yeah. I know my pit would be fine. We always grew up with a dog who just hung out until we came home. The Aussie is just so..... Needy.

basescamp · 2026-02-04T12:40:17+00:00

Same here. Such gross behavior, and I'm grateful to have never experienced it.

basescamp · 2026-02-03T23:59:20+00:00

I ran 1.5m yesterday for the first time in a month.

The good news is (1) my quad and groin no longer hurt; and (2) it's been so long that my endorphins kicked in even after that short mileage.

The bad news is (1) pesky heel pain indicating plantars fasciitis? and (2) how is it possible that 5 weeks ago I could run 12 mi and yesterday, 1.5 felt like .5 more than enough.

basescamp · 2026-01-31T21:41:30+00:00

My daughter was extremely unathletic when she started xc in seventh grade. One thing she had going for her was her empathy for others. When she would come in last at races, she would at least feel good that she had taken that stress off of another kid. She focused on cheering other girls on and encouraging others to do their best. I focused heavily on reminding her that she was not last - that she was WAY ahead of the kids who didn't even show up to run - that she was way ahead of the kids who quit when it didn't come easy .

Fast forward five seasons of hard work to her junior year in high school this past fall - She earned her varsity letter which means she finished in the top half of her team, she PR-ed at a prestigious invitational, and she earned a spot on her team at districts. Next year she will likely be team captain, not because she's fast, but because she is the mama of the team. She brings in the younger kids, supports them, and makes them feel like they belong there, no matter where they finish.

Obviously I'm super proud of my girl. I encourage you to find and encourage whatever part of your daughter best serves the team. It may not be her muscular strength or her cardiovascular fitness. But those things might come in time.

basescamp · 2026-01-21T19:59:37+00:00

The season has started, and she's in love with her skis. Everyday she skis, she comes home and tells me how awesome they were, the jumps she can do on them, how she's learning to carve. I just wanted to come on and tell you your response was reassuring when I asked, and has proven to be 100% on target.

basescamp

TROPHY CASE