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It is something every runner dreads, but losing my running mojo was the best thing that ever happened to me. 

The London Marathon was one of the best days of my life, a real dream come true. I trained religiously and counted down the days. However as the big day approached the temperatures soared and 2018 was a record breaking 24 degrees on marathon day. It took a lot out of me, physically I was exhausted, but mentally I was beaten down. My months of training went out the window, I struggled in the heat and my recovery took longer than I ever imagined. I couldn’t face running, I was exhausted. I tried parkrun, I tried racing, I tried running with friends but nothing helped and the more I panicked and forced it the more I just couldn’t face running.

I used the opportunity to get stuck into my Ride London and Swim Serpentine training. I found swimming and cycling kept me going, I could maintain my fitness and try something new. I eventually started combining swimming and cycling with running and slowly my running felt like it had purpose again. I also discovered I really want to do a triathlon!

I signed up to Dublin marathon with the hope that I could purge some of the demons from London and close my race year on a high. As the day approached I began to realise the time didn’t matter but the enjoyment did. With the pressure off, I came to the start line feeling more relaxed than ever. Yes the start line and race day nerves were still there, but the lead up and the race itself was just so chilled.

I came away with a 14 minute PB, and memories to last a lifetime. But the biggest gift of all- my running mojo. I think the biggest thing I have learned on this crazy journey is: don’t be afraid of losing your running mojo, it will find you when you least expect it. 

My top tips for dealing with losing your running mojo:

Don’t force it, if you’ve fallen out of love with running it is for a reason, forcing yourself to run and continually telling yourself you must run will only make it worse. Sometimes you just need some distance to come back with more fire in your belly.

Try new things. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself won’t make the situation worse. Be proactive and be positive, if you’re not running use the time to discover a new sport, you never know what crazy journey you might discover. Take chances!

Surround yourself with positive people, inspiration can come from anywhere and surrounding yourself with good, positive vibes/ people will certainly help.

Volunteer! Always a great opportunity to give something back and it really will make you feel better, plus you’ll feel involved.

Practice some self care, put yourself first. Losing a running mojo is a physical and mental thing so take care of yourself physically and mentally.

Remember you aren’t alone– talk to people about your missing mojo, don’t keep the emotions in as that will only make things worse.

Don’t dwell on it, you are only human!

Get your mojo back RunThrough Running Club London

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Thank you Becca, also known as @thisbunnyruns , for allowing us to share your blog and hopefully inspire some more runner to get there mojo back. 

If you are looking for some more running inspiration follow Becca @thisbunnyruns on Instagram or head to her website and blog at www.thisbunnyruns.com