I wasn’t sure what to write about today, and honestly, I was contemplating not writing anything at all. But then I read Abby’s blog. It’s not a long, deep, mind blowing blog entry, but it makes you think (at least it made me think- which is hard in the morning).
I’ll give you all a second to read what she wrote.
Done? Good. Now bookmark her blog.
Reading those rules really did get me thinking about my own rule. I am by no means an athlete that works out 7 times a day, 7 days a week, but they’re also used to those workouts. They push their bodies to the extreme, just like I push my body to the extreme- except our extremes are different. It’s also a matter of pushing ourselves mentally, and sometimes that is way harder than the physical aspect.
I can run through pain and suffering, my brain is what always gets in my way. Sometimes the pain isn’t that bad, like, maybe I could finish, but then my brain jumps in and tells me if I keep going I’m going to die. Or it gives it’s two cents by saying I’ve already run x amount, so I’d be okay to go home and sit on the couch. Wrong. Usually when my brain decides to chime in I have two methods, if #1 doesn’t work, I jump to #2.
This was my fav. Obviously.
#1) Pretend I’m only in mile 3. Mile 3 is always my easiest mile, I’m not sure why but it’s nice, relaxing, wonderful. When things get hard, generally always around mile 8, I try to convince myself that I just started. This should work, right? 8 is no different than 3, except ya know…5 miles.
#2) This is my last resort method- reason I don’t do it first; it makes me look incredibly stupid. I smile. This is the “fake it till you make it” rule. If I smile, I can trick myself into being happy and enjoying the misery. The hard part with this is that once the smile is there, I have to smile for the remainder of the run. Maybe even sing a little, or force out a laugh. I look like a schizophrenic runner. But it works.
What do you do to push through the tough moments, days, years?
Just like every where else in the country, it is exceptionally HOT today. I’m going to come out and say it; I hate heat. Give me snow, ice, frostbite- keep the heat. I start sweating just thinking about working out in this. I’m a person who prefers to have a blanket covering me all the time, and a sweatshirt on. Running in the winter is ideal. Thankfully, I can’t work out right now, still got a few weeks left of being lazy, but I can tell you one thing- this heat better not keep up. This is the first time, in a long time, that I thought: I wish I had a gym membership.
I refuse to pay to workout. I feel like I torture myself enough without seeing money come out of my account every month. I also only know how to use two machines in the entire gym; treadmill and elliptical. Hate doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about treadmill running, and the elliptical and I really don’t get along.
I guess I’m kind of stuck in a conundrum, pay to hurt or sweat to death. I’m pretty sure I’ll just sweat to death, but, what would you do?
8 Comments
Want to know something funny? i always smile when I run, I don’t know if I do it for that reason, to make myself pretend like it isn’t f-ing hot out or just because I am in my thoughts and daydreaming. i run without music so i think i just get in this space where i think about everything and anything. i’m a weirdo.
I generally run without music too, but I run mostly with my dad so we talk the whole time. When I’m alone I need music because I can’t entertain myself for that long and I get bored.
My general rules:
1. Never make a decision while running uphill (I didn’t make that one up, I read it somewhere.)
2. Don’t worry about any given mile until you get there. i.e. Don’t worry about mile 9 when you are on mile 4. A lot can happen between now and then, including second winds!
Those are both so awesome. I’ve made some stupid decisions while running up hill- like stopping half way- awful. And it’s so true about things changing between miles, even half a mile can kick the wind back into you!
I recently bought Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred…I do it inside with the AC at a reasonable temperature…it’s a good quick 20-25 minute workout that I can do instead of melting on a run. She incorporates cardio, but it’s obviously not anywhere near the amount you get in a long run. It DOES make me sweat like crazy, even when it’s not a billion degrees out. I feel myself getting stronger, too! Check it out!
I’ve heard a lot about this workout and how awesome it is, maybe when you’re done with it, I can borrow it?
Love it! Thanks so much for the shout out. How amazing are those sayings?
Don’t worry about smiling I sometimes sing and bust some little dance moves. Whatever it takes.
You are right though, this weather, yikes! I bumped my 6:00 run date to 7:30. Enough time to get in 8ish miles before dark, but hopefully not fry to death.
I LOVE those sayings! And from now on whenever I smile, I’m just going to laugh because I know you look sillier than me, dancing while running- of course, you may be on to something! Hope you didn’t fry in the heat!