Forums >General Running>Slump
Is it mental or physical? First rule out physical.
If its mental run trails or run by time alone or distance alone.
Another vote for ending your streak. I've been there, not with as long a streak as yours though it was counted in years. When the sole purpose of running (a mile a day) is to maintain a running streak, not to support or enhance your life or your running fitness, then the streak has outlived its usefulness.
If it's more of a burden than a blessing, think about putting it on a back burner for now. Focus on fixing what's put you in a slump. Then maybe restart a streak at some future date. You might. Or you might not. Streaking works well for me when it's working for me. But when it stopped working, I gave it up.
I did restart two years later and have a pretty good one going now. But, it is working well and running is going well. After giving up that long streak a few years ago, I learned that the streak itself had degraded the whole point of running. I had to find my way back to having other purposes in running, without a streak, before I even considered restarting one.
I would give it up instantly if a compelling health concern or dramatic life change made it a burden. It's too distracting.
Having said all of this, my personality does enjoy streaking, mostly because it removes the yes/no decision-making from running.
I do not agree with ending your streak. A mile a day has become the equivalent of a day off for you.
So now the question is whether this is something mental or physical. Physical is likely due to some vitamin or mineral deficiency (iron, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, etc). This requires working with a medial professional to try and identify the cause. Mental is likely due a loss of motivation. Changing up your routine is important here. Get out on the trails if you are running mainly on the roads. Try new running routes. Run with a group if you run solo all the time. Pick a goal race that you can train for.
some good advice here, my 2 cents are to get to a good internist for a workup per above (also to rule out lymes, E-B, etc).
if its not evidently physical, i'd consider a long break from running for a complete mental reset. maybe even months or years...return when you want to; new focus, goal, plans, friends, etc. life is a big sport, and there are lots of fun things to do besides running.
you've had a great run with your streak, but all parties end, and you never want to be the last to leave. there is no downside, shame or loss in taking a bow, walking away on your own terms, and of course, rewarding your self handsomely for a job well done.
Chief Unicorn Officer
I'm in the "take a break" camp.
I wasn't streaking, but almost a year ago I had been running 40-60 miles per week, speed training twice per week, and had been at it like that for over 2 years. One day I just walked out the door to go for a run and I was like "I can't do this anymore." I quit. I didn't run for two full months, then I started back just running or run/walking 3 or 4 miles at a time. Zero speedwork. I continued like this for several months. Last week I ran 29 miles--my highest weekly mileage since June 2013. I'm proud of that. But I'm most happy with it because I enjoyed all of it. It wasn't drudgery anymore; it didn't feel like a job. Running had become something very draining and not-fun for me. I only got my oomph back by taking an extended break.
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
How are you doing? Hope things are well.
runsonsyrup
I know you mentioned that you were doing a streak, but my advice would be to forget the streak (you can always start a new one later), and take two weeks completely off from running. Focus on something else, or just enjoy life for a bit. I bet you'll find yourself missing it, and will be eager to get back to it.
That being said, I agree with the other posters about getting yourself checked out physically. It could be as simple as allergies, honestly, but it's always good to know.
Take care!
www.runsonsyrup.com