Getting Past the Autumn Blues

Getting Past the Autumn Blues

Does anyone else have a tough transition to a new season? Despite the heat hanging on a little longer here in New York, everywhere I’m hearing people getting excited for Fall already. I love Spring and Summer. I love being outdoors every day. I love that feeling at the beginning of Summer, when you think about all the fun times you’re going to have this year, the trips you’ll take, the beaches you’ll visit, the laid-back feel you’ll have about life. It never works out quite that cozily, though. This year we took our vacation early, at the beginning of June, I ran my big goal races for the year in the beginning of the season, thenΒ the summer just kind of quietly slipped by.

Autumn being around the corner is not filling me with the same excitement I get when the daffodils come up and I know Summer’s nearly here. It makes me feel like the year is going too fast and I’m not taking advantage of every moment of every day.

Getting Past the Autumn Blues

I’m officially in a bit of a funk. I haven’t been runningΒ as much, I haven’t been bloggingΒ as much and I’ve been feeling a little bit like I’m on automaton.

The funny thing is, I LOVE so many things about this time of year. I love running in the crisper air. I love the colors changing on the trees. I love how deep blue the sky looks against the reds and yellows of the leaves. I love October, since it brings my husband’s birthday, our wedding anniversary and Halloween (which is suddenly so much more fun now there is a small person in my life to dress up and get excited).

A hippo for his first Halloween, then the sweetest Max on the block last year.
A hippo for his first Halloween, then the sweetest Max on the block last year.

I think not setting a concrete running goal for the Fall was a mistake for me. I thrive when I have an eventΒ to work towards, to train for, something to anticipate. While I’m loving reading all the training updates from friends running Chicago, NYC, ultras, you name it, I’m a little bummed that I don’t have a “big one” on the horizon.

So I’ve set a goal for the Spring (it’s my favorite season, after all). I’m not ready to share the details, because it’s a biggie and I’m not quite sure yet that I’m ready to pull it off. But I have a lot of time for training and preparing and I’m feeling quietly optimistic.

Let’s hope that can pull me through this temporary rough patch, so I can enjoy Autumn without worrying about whether another polar vortex will be headed our way. (Surely not, right? Right??)

Does anyone else get into a change of season funk?

Do you need goals to work towards? Do you set one major goal, or several smaller goals throughout the year?

What’s your favorite season and why?

11 thoughts on “Getting Past the Autumn Blues”

  1. Oh, Carly – I can relate to your funk. (and the sad thing is I have been training – maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t really run in a week!) The past few days I’ve been in one of those blue moods for no real reason. I keep telling myself I have to get over it because Chris is going out of the country next week – that usually just makes my funk worse though!!!
    Hope you have some fun weekend plans to help!!!
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  2. I adore fall, yet I feel exactly as you do. I used to think it was a back to school funk, when I was in school. But that’s not it. I think this time of year really magnifies the passage of time. It’s all going way too fast. Even having NYCM as my BHAG isn’t helping with the funk.
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  3. My favorite season is fall, by far. I love the running temps, sweatshirt weather, apples, pumpkins, bonfires, and scarves.

    I know what you mean about not having a big goal race this fall; I have a potential half marathon at the beginning of November, but instead of a big goal race, my fall running goal is just “get faster,” and I’m hoping that seeing faster mile splits on tempo runs will be as exciting as training for a fall marathon
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  4. I’m definitely a fall girl. I used to love summer, but that was when I lived in New York (and when I was a student and had it off!). Summer in D.C. is SO HUMID. I love the cool, crisp air, the changing leaves, the boots, the scarves, everything! I’m sorry you’re having a hard time though. Head to Bear Mountain and do a little hiking. It’ll life your spirits right up!
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  6. Oh my gosh! I cringe in fear when I hear the words polar vortex. Please no! I love fall but not as much as spring and summer. I just love the warm weather so much! I think of fall as a three-month Sunday. It’s still good (but not as good as Saturday) but you know Monday (winter) is just around the corner. Although I guess this fall I have something extra special to look forward to!

    PS. Cutest Halloween costumes ever!
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  7. Change of season for me always seems to tie in with new goal setting. Fall is a great time to try learning something new – gotta keep the little gray cells moving as well as the body! With fall weather I know I won’t be outside as much so some kind of ‘book learning’ just seems to be a natural.
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