Lack of Committment

Managed a pretty good week of running, but still have not committed to Surf the Murph.  Part of my "good" week of running was a longer run (16 miles) with my daughter on Saturday.  She also is an aspiring trail runner and so she took us off road along some gnarly trails near Minnehaha Creek.  Metal dock-like platforms that were slippery, followed by dirt trails that were very rocky and also lots of exposed roots.  With all the rain we had received, the creek and the falls were rushing pretty good and all I could think was, "don't trip or slip along this trail and end up drowning in the creek."  Got me thinking, maybe I'm not cut our for serious trail running after all.  Not sure if most races follow along creeks, rivers or waterfalls, but if they do, I'll be opting out.  Lastly, not nearly as nimble on my feet as I used to be.  When the trails get even the least bit technical, I slow down to a laughable pace.  Just not fearless enough I guess!

In Search of a New Goal

I reviewed my running logs and the intermittent blog posts over the past couple of years and one thing is painfully obvious.  Somethings gotta change.  I've been averaging the same mileage, running the same workouts, all while remaining uninspired with my running.  I keep plugging along, waiting for a breakthrough, but at this point I need to realize that without a major shake-up, nothing is going to change.  Perhaps its my goals that are tired?  I keep thinking about 19 minute 5k's, sub 40 10k's all with the ultimate goal of another sub-3 marathon.  Why do I want to reach for goals that I have already achieved many time over?  Sure it would be cool if I could run those paces again in a brand new AG, but if I am being honest with myself, the speed is going and I don't think it is coming back.  So, what does that leave me with?  The choice that all runners face, which is choose endurance over speed.  The cop-out that is running longer and slower because that is the only tool left in the toolbox!  But what's wrong with that?  The idea of a long run on the trails, in the woods sounds pretty darn good.  So, lets do some exploring and goal-setting of a different type.  Looks like maybe the Surf the Murph 25k is the best option.  Local race, moderate distance and relatively challenging course.  Link is below:

https://www.surfthemurph.org/the-race

Lets decide in the next week or so if this is a go.  October 19th is the date.