One day last spring I didn’t feel like running my scheduled easy 4 miler.  I ran 14 miles two days before and 8 the day before.

It was the first hot day of the season.  I debated going back to sleep after dropping my kids off at school.

I sometimes make excuses to avoid running when I’m not feeling perfect.

“Oops, not enough time today” or “I could do something more productive than run right now”.

But you know what?  It’s the times when you are tired that you can really make some gains.

If you only run when you are well rested and feeling great, you won’t run very often!

In the seven weeks leading up to the Boston Marathon, top American finisher Neely Spence Gracey took zero days off.  How many of those days did she likely feel fully rested?

Muhammad Ali said, “I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. That is when I start counting, because then it really counts. That’s what makes you a champion.”

Suck it up, buttercup.

It’s supposed to be hard.