The last good run?

I haven't had a good run since... I don't know when. This is a little frustrating. A lot frustrating. Admittedly, any trail runs I've done have been decent, but my performance expectations are quite low on the trail (12- to 14-minute mile paces are okay with me depending on where I am).

I know it's hot, but it hasn't always been hot. My distances have not been long - Saturday's 9-miler will be the longest I've run since the Cleveland HM; otherwise, my long runs have been 6 miles - so it's not the distance.

I recall last July, which was full of bad, bad runs. But my mileage was increasing; that's not the case right now.

It doesn't help that I read all of these blogs, and people talk about how they're average runners and THEY'RE SO MUCH FASTER THAN I. So what I am? Below-average - and often feeling far below-average. In the past couple of months, I've only had a couple of runs that were near 10-minute mile paces (and of course, those were short runs) and two 3-milers that were under 10-minute miles.

And I've had almost exclusively shitty races.

Last night, I had to walk during our group run. I have NEVER walked on the Bike & Hike Trail. It's flat. It was only 5 miles. I was going slowly already. Yet, I walked, quite a bit. I ended up finishing in something like 58 minutes, and normally it's around 50 minutes there. It was hot - still 90 degrees at 6:30 - but I was well-hydrated and well-fueled, and I carried Gatorade.

It's enough to make me want to give up. Almost. Instead, I'll just keep chugging along at my ever-slower pace - and be glad that people are willing to wait for me. I'll try to keep the whining to a minimum.