I will be re-united with Kyle tomorrow morning, so I thought I would squeeze in a quick post and update on my half marathon "training". I have put the word training in air quotes to imply that I haven't really been training. I have 3 1/2 weeks until I run the Army Run in Ottawa Ontario. I am running the half with a co-worker and a few other friends and family will be running the 5km run as well. GoodLife Fitness (where I work) is a presenting sponsor along with New Balance.
I attended a session at Can Fit Pro in Toronto called Change Anything. It really helped clarify a lot of things for me and I wanted to share them with you in the hopes that we will all get out and run more. I want to talk about running. Getting out the door, early in the morning with two feet and a heartbeat and running. I am determined to be an early morning runner as I know many, many people are and even MORE people want to be. This post is for the wannabes.
I chose to run this half marathon race on whim in a hotel room a few months ago and I have been half regretting it (lol) ever since. However, I am not backing out, so it is time to buckle down. In the last week I have been out for two runs. Once short 6km run and a slightly longer 9.5 km run both along the ocean in Halifax. Both times I ran with co workers. Which is fabulous. I really to recommend having a running buddy if you can. Buddies in general are awesome, but having a running partner (or buddy) can really make or break your success becoming a "runner". I know when I plan to run alone, I am more likely to bail out on myself. I know I need to run early in the morning in order to make it happen, especially when I am on the road traveling for work. After work there are too many external forces that can stack up against me and prevent me from running in the evening. (having to work late to meet deadlines, co-worker schedules, dinner plans, tiredness, hunger etc).
So I determined that I must run early. I know that in order for me to have any shot at even getting out the door for a run, I need to have someone there waiting for me, especially if I need to run first thing in the morning. So when I want to go for an early run, I MAKE SURE I have someone lined up to run with me. For me (and everyone is different) I know I am much less likely to let someone else down by bailing on a run. Again, let me be clear-everyone is different. I always double or triple confirm with the person I am running with and make sure they know I am counting on them. I have never had someone cancel on me after I have shared with them how important it is to me that they run with me and how much I appreciate it.
If you are anything like me, most of your runs are going to have some sort of challenge along the way. It could be weather, your body, work, change of schedule, your equipment (shoes, ipod etc) or your attitude/state of mind. It's usually something different or a combination of things or one thing affects the other. For example, you wake up early to go for a run and realize you forgot to move your gym clothes over to the dryer last night and now they are wet. Or perhaps you plan to meet a friend for a run after work and you are looking forward to it all day, but at the last minute the friend cancels and you immediately loose all of your motivation and skip the run too. Most of these things aren't actually your fault, but most people blame themselves when they happen. The important thing is not to blame yourself, but to actually recognize WHEN you are most likely to NOT run and figure out a plan or little things to can do to avoid being in those situations.
I will use myself again as an example. I know that on days when I fly somewhere for work, I rarely workout. Instead of planning a workout, then missing it and feeling like a loser, I actually plan NOT to workout on travel days. I schedule all of my workouts around that day, so I can take that travel day as a rest day. Then I actually feel MORE successful when I don't workout that day because I have gotten all of my scheduled workouts in and I can travel happily knowing that that day is my rest day.
Do you see where I am going with this? The book "Change Anything" talks about crucial moments. You need to identify the situations or circumstances where you are likely NOT to run. Think about the external or internal influences and set up little plans or actions in order to avoid those situations from happening. The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So if you set your alarm to wake up early for a run and every time you hit snooze and roll back over and then feel guilty for yet again sleeping in over and over, that is insane. Step back and reflect. Pick ONE thing, just one that you can do in order to help yourself get out of bed. It won't be the same for everyone. It might be laying your clothes out the night before, or having an automatic coffee maker that you set the night before, or a running partner to meet you, or a route pre planned, having the person that sleeps next to you pinch you really hard so you jump out of bed...the options are endless. The important thing is to figure out something to combat that crucial moment of rolling over and hitting the snooze button.
It is not a coincidence that in the past week I was able to run twice in the morning. I didn't magically wake up, feeling extra ambitious and well rested and get out and crush two runs. I had to face the fact that too many things were preventing me from running in the evening, so I had to schedule runs in the morning. I also know, it is very hard for me to get out of bed early in the morning, so I planned to have workout/running buddies meet me and make sure to let them know in advance how much it meant to me that they were helping me train for my half marathon. The result? Two successful runs! I hope this helps you. Let me know. I love comments and feedback. I promise.
If you are interested in learning more about how to Change Anything, I really recommend picking up a copy of the book or visit the Vital Smarts website.
