Ex D1 runner here, not too great (14:44 5k PR) I'm in a slump right now, can't manage more than 35 miles a week if I'm lucky. I still want to run well and PR... Maybe marathon/half? but work and responsibilities having a social life is getting in the way. I'm about 20 lbs above racing weight. Half the time I want to hang up the spikes, but 2 or 3 miles Ito every run I feel the old fire again. Any suggestions to help me out?
Everybody is different but I've always found making a big shift in focus helps. For example, if you've always done longer stuff chase the 800 and mile or even 400 for a while. A miler might want to chase the 5000 or 10000 for a while. Even focusing on odd distances like 600 or 2000 seems to put some life back in me.
Do some psychedelics and meditate on it. Best is mushrooms and hang out at your favorite track.
Try mixing in some more cross training... swimming, biking, weight lifting, rock climbing, something. This will help you regain some fitness until a more consistent urge to run comes back.
Also, if you aren't already, try and link up with a group even if it is just a couple of times a week. Running solo all the time can make it seem like chore.
I definitely agree with the other posters about shooting for different distances or even adding in some cross training activities. And group runs can be totally fun. Most have a very different, and good, vibe than team based stuff.
I know it seems to be a bit cliche right now, but I'd also recommend looking at doing some trail races. You can train as much or as hard as you want for them, but they completely take away worrying about splits and PRs and stuff like that. The races have a super cool, welcoming atmosphere, too. If you did that for a year or two, you could possibly develop a lot of strength (and maybe that spark) to dive back into faster track and road stuff.
Oh, and a third thing, also perhaps a bit cliche and silly (at least on these boards), but I've been really enjoying playing around with Strava. There is some extra motivation there in tracking your runs and progress, and it also helped me hook up with two local group runs that I didn't know were going down.
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