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Anyone Feel Like Long Runs Are Wearing Them Down Mentally?
Posted on 2/15/26 at 11:28 am
Posted on 2/15/26 at 11:28 am
Hi everyone. I ran cross country in high school and then, largely took a lot of time off of running.
Around the time of the pandemic, I didn't like how I was starting to physically feel and got back into running, slowly but surely.
I'm at the point, around six years later, where my daily run is around 7 miles (I'm guessing) and takes me over an hour to do, which is a significant time commitment daily. I'm in great shape can go on a half marathon-length run on a whim without too many difficulties (when I occasionally decide to do that impromptu).
I just feel like, as my mileage has increased, it's getting harder and harder to motivate myself to go on these longer runs because of the increasingly-high amount of time and effort it takes to do them daily. And I'm, more and more, making excuses not to go on runs, which I then feel guilty about.
I think this is a mindset that only distance runners can understand, but once I increased my daily mileage to around seven miles, and I knew that my body can go on these runs daily, cutting down my daily mileage almost feels like I'm taking steps backwards, getting "lazy," and regressing, as opposed to progressing.
I'm sure this all sounds ridiculous unless you're a distance runner, but I am sure there's someone on this board that can understand my mindset.
Has anyone else ever started to feel this way? Is this something where I just need to push through my internal doubts and keep going? Or is my subconscious trying to tell me something legitimate (as opposed to just trying to give myself an excuse not to run and be "lazy")?
This is all supposed to be for personal satisfaction too! It's not like I'm training for anything! I feel like it's also just that I have so much else going on in my life, time-wise, it feels like the runs are starting to suck my free time away versus enhance my mental health/life, like I used to feel.
Around the time of the pandemic, I didn't like how I was starting to physically feel and got back into running, slowly but surely.
I'm at the point, around six years later, where my daily run is around 7 miles (I'm guessing) and takes me over an hour to do, which is a significant time commitment daily. I'm in great shape can go on a half marathon-length run on a whim without too many difficulties (when I occasionally decide to do that impromptu).
I just feel like, as my mileage has increased, it's getting harder and harder to motivate myself to go on these longer runs because of the increasingly-high amount of time and effort it takes to do them daily. And I'm, more and more, making excuses not to go on runs, which I then feel guilty about.
I think this is a mindset that only distance runners can understand, but once I increased my daily mileage to around seven miles, and I knew that my body can go on these runs daily, cutting down my daily mileage almost feels like I'm taking steps backwards, getting "lazy," and regressing, as opposed to progressing.
I'm sure this all sounds ridiculous unless you're a distance runner, but I am sure there's someone on this board that can understand my mindset.
Has anyone else ever started to feel this way? Is this something where I just need to push through my internal doubts and keep going? Or is my subconscious trying to tell me something legitimate (as opposed to just trying to give myself an excuse not to run and be "lazy")?
This is all supposed to be for personal satisfaction too! It's not like I'm training for anything! I feel like it's also just that I have so much else going on in my life, time-wise, it feels like the runs are starting to suck my free time away versus enhance my mental health/life, like I used to feel.
8
Posted on 2/15/26 at 11:32 am to pelicansfan123
Might I suggest mixing your work outs up? Start incorporating hill work, or sprints, or cardio based lifting. You need some type of cross training.
All of those will not only help you become a stronger distance runner, but also will assuredly help with your feelings towards training.
All of those will not only help you become a stronger distance runner, but also will assuredly help with your feelings towards training.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 11:41 am to pelicansfan123
Do you have any goals? Not only race plans, but personal goals of getting faster for instance.
Both calendaring races and implementing training plans towards those races, and setting personal goals for either in race or just in training would probably help provide that continuous spark. I know it does for me.
As an aside, I talked to a guy the other day who I knew ran. I asked if he had any races on the calendar and he got slightly agitated and told me, somewhat indignantly, that’s not why he ran. More power to him. I guess I understand what he meant, but I can’t grasp doing something simply for the sake of doing it without building self improvement and a measurement of success into the equation.
Both calendaring races and implementing training plans towards those races, and setting personal goals for either in race or just in training would probably help provide that continuous spark. I know it does for me.
As an aside, I talked to a guy the other day who I knew ran. I asked if he had any races on the calendar and he got slightly agitated and told me, somewhat indignantly, that’s not why he ran. More power to him. I guess I understand what he meant, but I can’t grasp doing something simply for the sake of doing it without building self improvement and a measurement of success into the equation.
This post was edited on 2/15/26 at 11:42 am
Posted on 2/15/26 at 11:51 am to DownSouthJukin
quote:
Do you have any goals? Not only race plans, but personal goals of getting faster for instance.
I've been hesitant to do races or give myself time goals because I felt in cross country tied to my watch so much, it felt freeing to run just for personal satisfaction.
However, as you're alluding to, this is the flip side of doing that..when the mileage adds up and you're not working towards anything, it feels like, "Why am I doing this to myself" on my daily runs.
Like the previous poster said, I think I need to probably get back to varying what I do more.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 12:26 pm to Salmon
I get like this every now and then. Signing up for an ultra or finding a nice set of audible books usually helps.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 10:09 pm to pelicansfan123
To answer your question - yes. I feel this way (and cut my running back because of it). Was really disappointing when I realized I didn’t love running as much as I thought I did, if we’re being honest.
I’ve learned that anything over an hour for me and I just start to get bored and wanting to do something else, so mentally, those 8-10+ mile days were just draining for me and I got to where I’d look for excuses not to do them.
Also, the time commitment got to be tough for me. Because of how our home schedule works, I can really only run at night (starting after 8:00 PM) and that becomes tough - because you run for an hour, cool down for say 15-30 minutes, shower and just try to calm down mentally and before you know it it’s 11:00 PM before you go to bed and I have to be up by 6:00, so I’m constantly running on a sleep deficit.
I’ve learned that anything over an hour for me and I just start to get bored and wanting to do something else, so mentally, those 8-10+ mile days were just draining for me and I got to where I’d look for excuses not to do them.
Also, the time commitment got to be tough for me. Because of how our home schedule works, I can really only run at night (starting after 8:00 PM) and that becomes tough - because you run for an hour, cool down for say 15-30 minutes, shower and just try to calm down mentally and before you know it it’s 11:00 PM before you go to bed and I have to be up by 6:00, so I’m constantly running on a sleep deficit.
Posted on 2/16/26 at 6:11 am to pelicansfan123
Long runs are why I wake up on the weekends.
15-20 miles and clocking into my imagination for 2-3 hours is what I live for.
I haven't been able to go on a true long run in like 5 months due to injury and it's killing me.
I waste way more time doing other silly shite besides running. 1 hour time commitment is not much to get endorphins going and start my day right.
15-20 miles and clocking into my imagination for 2-3 hours is what I live for.
I haven't been able to go on a true long run in like 5 months due to injury and it's killing me.
I waste way more time doing other silly shite besides running. 1 hour time commitment is not much to get endorphins going and start my day right.
Posted on 2/16/26 at 7:33 am to TheJunction
quote:
I’ve learned that anything over an hour for me and I just start to get bored and wanting to do something else, so mentally, those 8-10+ mile days were just draining for me and I got to where I’d look for excuses not to do them.
So funny you say this. I think I started to get bored, and the runs started to feel more and more significant,once my runs passed the hour mark.
55 min vs 1 hr 5 min just feels like a world apart.
Posted on 2/16/26 at 11:02 am to pelicansfan123
Thank you for sharing these thoughts as it helps as I'm somewhat in a similar situation. I love to run as it's a great stress reliever for me, but also my time to use praying. Within the past year it's become so addicting that I'm negligent with strength training and I truly need to add muscle back to my frame. My issue though is that I use to be obese (240 lbs at 5'8"). I am currently under 120 lbs and anytime my weight upticks on the scale, I have this fear that I'm going back to obesity (even though I know this isn't the case). It's the mental challenge for me. I need to find that happy medium between cardio and strength training so that my energy levels improve and overall quality of life can be better.
Posted on 2/17/26 at 9:34 pm to pelicansfan123
If you're just running on the roads, maybe look up some trails in your area. The attention required to keep upright on technical trails, plus the necessity to change paces/effort due to "non-flat" sections should help occupy your mind and make time pass faster
Posted on 2/18/26 at 7:14 am to pelicansfan123
I feel like life in general has been wearing me out lately. I've been trail running a few miles and being able to shut my brain off for an hour or two has been great. I love getting to the top of a hill in the woods and being able to look around in front of me and back down at what I just climbed. If I'm running in my neighborhood or on a treadmill, yeah it is hard to make my mind keep pushing me.
You might need a break if you're feeling like that. Every once in a while when I start feeling burnt out on the gym/running I plan a break. I don't decide the morning of or day before that I'm going to skip, I feel like that's letting my inner bitch win. If I decide that I need a week to rest I plan it a week or two in advance.
quote:
Has anyone else ever started to feel this way? Is this something where I just need to push through my internal doubts and keep going? Or is my subconscious trying to tell me something legitimate (as opposed to just trying to give myself an excuse not to run and be "lazy")?
You might need a break if you're feeling like that. Every once in a while when I start feeling burnt out on the gym/running I plan a break. I don't decide the morning of or day before that I'm going to skip, I feel like that's letting my inner bitch win. If I decide that I need a week to rest I plan it a week or two in advance.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 2:52 pm to pelicansfan123
Long cardio (road cycling) started to run me down a few years ago. I started lifting, heavy. As bad as the rides would make me feel, lifting always makes me feel great. I ride once a week now, just a 20 mile sprint, and do heavy resistance training with some zone 2 cardio.
Posted on 2/20/26 at 4:32 pm to Loup
quote:
If I decide that I need a week to rest I plan it a week or two in advance.
I love that idea of planning out breaks a week or two in advance. That feels much more like a "scheduled break" than a "he's giving up on his fitness."
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