Running Woes More Mental Than Physical

I have noticed recently that if I run while listening to my favorite music...usually from my MP3 player... then the time passes more pleasantly and I am not as aware of the psychological toll that the stress of covering long distances takes.  The same can be said for running while listening to audio books...also from my MP3 player.  The fact that my evaluation of how difficult or easy a particular run was depends so much on a distraction like music or a story tells me that most of my impediments in running right now are mental and not physical in nature.  That's a hopeful conclusion, and I also believe that with the generally cooler temperatures this time of year, along with the realization that I need to re-accustom myself to road running, my future looks promising.  I don't think I'll be venturing into marathon races anytime soon, but next month's Ocala Half-Marathon is looking more and more like a certainty and less and less like just a remote possibility...

I've also come to the conclusion that, concerning running, less can be better...especially regarding my old habit of running on consecutive days.  I'm giving that a change, now running on alternate days and giving my body a chance to recover, heal, and grow.  Also, I will be resuming an old strategy, picked up from marathon great Jeff Galloway, by inserting regular walking breaks within my long training runs...