Mentally going long

As I wrote on Sunday, I've had to rejigger my training a bit to stop the excuses and to ensure that I get in the miles both during the week and on my long run days. 'Cause that's pretty much what marathon training is - getting in the miles and making them "good" miles so you get stronger and can go longer.

I'll be honest, it's been hard this time around.

I'm chalking a bit up to age. Definitely my slower time per mile is due to the additional 5 years on this body (not to mention the extra 20lbs and additional child birthed), but that's physical and if there is anything those ladies at anothermotherrunner.com have told and showed me, there are things you can do (speed work anyone?!?) to get back to those 30 something speeds.

Nope, this has been mental.

Don't know really how to describe it, but the best description is: I'm bored. I switch up routes, I throw in some great podcasts (yes, that's me, giggling down the road with Dimity and Sarah and with the WaitWait gang) I've got music that within the first bars, no one, I mean no one, can stop their feet from moving. I meet friends along the route to run with. I even take the most-opinionate dog for part of the run.

I just haven't been able to find my long run mojo.
Anyone else lose this?
Did you find it again?

It's not that I can't do the runs, I'm just not able to start cruising around mile 6 and just let the miles go one by one past me until I either hit that last struggle or cruise the last mile at race pace. I came pretty close during last weeks 15 miler. Maybe it was the fact I was back on Cilley Hill and that I can run that road in my sleep, but it was the first run where I was cruising, body moving, mind at rest or at least paging through the thoughts mindfully.

I'll take that as a good sign. We'll see if I can do it again this week.