Change is Good

Ran 10.2 miles @ 7:48/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Extremely hilly.
Weather: Upper 3os, sunny.

I set out this afternoon to do a couple of my 5-mile loops when I had an epiphany of sorts. I realized shortly after the first mile that I'm kind of bored of some of my routes. Could that be another reason why I was feeling a bit burned out yesterday (along with work and grad school being especially busy)? It made sense, since I've really grown to not like this 5 mile loop all that much. It goes by too much traffic downtown and is pretty boring. So, I did the logical thing. I turned down another street, with no concrete route in mind.

I was familiar with some of the roads for a few miles, and then I ran on some ones I had never been on. They took me up and over some very challenging hills and alongside some beautiful farmlands and forests. I wanted to keep going further and I did, eventually meandering back down to the county road that would take me to Main Street and back to the school. I finished my last mile in a flurry, clocking it at 6:38. I even think I had a dorky grin on my face while I was doing it. The important thing though was that I had fun and it didn't seem like a chore.

It's important to be mindful that mental slumps are normal, but analyze why you're feeling that way and then come up with a plan of action and do something about it. Switching things up a bit and heading out into the unknown added the excitement I needed to kick yesterday's somewhat blah mentality to the curb. Man, those hills were fun. I seriously really love hill running. I'm ready for more, just slightly concerned about tomorrow's weather.