Back from a 5k run done in a fasted state – and we’re talking a 24-hour fast here. Still haven’t broken the fast, by the way. It went well. By no means an all-time personal best (I haven’t done any consistent running for years, so I am very slow at the moment), but I managed to shave a good minute off last weekend’s run. So the time is nothing to write home about, but the thought that struck me as I caught my breath once back home is definitely something to write a motivation post about.
Like I said, I’m still getting back into the swing of things when it comes to running and I feel weak. Not only have I not been running consistently, but I have grown older and heavier, so running is not easy right now. I hesitate before setting out, sometimes my mind is trying to think up an excuse. It’s tough. My usual 5k involves a slight incline during the first kilometer and has a pretty sharp incline after 3k. It’s tough physically, but above all mentally. Part of me wants to just skip running altogether and just focus on lifting weights and getting stronger, but I know that’s not enough for me. It’s not my goal, only part of it. I need to run. I must run. My current motivator is that I tell a good friend I am about to go running, that makes it harder to not do it.
But as I caught my breath today and looked at my watch – a better time than last week, I’m improving – I stopped and felt. Not what my legs or lungs felt like. But what it felt like to finish and be better than last time. A great feeling! Now contrast that with the feeling of sitting on the couch having come up with an excuse not to run. How do I want to feel? Pretty easy choice if you ask me.
lifegains 
[…] feel hungry or interested in eating at all. On the contrary, I wrote blog posts and went running. I felt energised and productive. Eventually I did break the fast, but only with a protein shake […]