Running Burnout

"Remind yourself that a run will make you feel better mentally and emotionally," (Howard J. Rankin, Ph.D., psychologist and author, as quoted in the Runners Training Log: Rodale Press, n.d.).

These days, unfortunately, that quote doesn't seem to hold true. I haven't timed my runs for some time as the results have been too discouraging. And I seem to walk as much as I run, which also discourages me. Additionally running just makes me feel tired and drained.

I don't know if the root cause is mental or physical. I do know, however, that a week off during two weeks of vacation in Iowa and New York did not help my mood any. And I had hoped that it would. I also hoped that a week of running in unfamiliar places (Ollie and Davenport, Iowa) would help; and those runs did feel better than my usual runs on Sunset Drive.

But I AM still running -- albeit not very far and not very fast -- and I hope that the mood soon improves and the joy of running and the invigoration that comes from running return soon. In the meantime, I'm running on sheer willpower and discipline, with a lot of help from my friends. Anyone with suggestions for curing burnout is welcome to e-mail me at anieta.mccracken@gmail.com. Just please be sure to put "running burnout" in the subject line so that, if I don't recognize your e-mail address, I'll still know you are a friend. Thanks.