Has anybody reading this seen my motivation lately? It's bright colored and solid feeling sort of like a bouncer at a popular club. Sometimes it is belligeren,t spouting off about exactly what it is going to do and what it isn't going to put up with. At least when it is at it's best this is what it is like. It was last seen somewhere around the time of the 10 Mile. Sometimes it likes to show up in the morning but it never seems to stick around long enough to be of any consistent use. If you have any suggestions on how I can locate my motivation, please, I beg of you, help me out!
I have been getting up for my morning workouts fairly regularly. I missed one day last week and one this week but every workout has been made up for in the evening. I think two things are a factor here; first, if I'm not busting my butt I don't feel like I am doing enough and second I'm not eating very well. I'm still eating like I am training for the 10 mile or something. I don't necessarily believe that that if I'm not pushing my limits everytime it's not enough, but it was happening so often when I was running and accomplishment an easy feeling to get addictied to.
How am I going to get motivated enough feel accomplished and healthy again? Running isn't the answer this time, but what is? I'll have to think about that.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Falling behind
I really wish I had internet access on a consistent basis. Because I don’t I feel like I’m getting my every thought written up. And when I do, it certainly isn’t in a timely manor. I’m probably missing some good stuff here!
This morning I got up and headed to the gym. It wasn’t too hard to wake up and get dressed, but once I got there it was really hard to want to work out. I had nothing. I showed up empty. I went home and back to bed after about 20 minutes or so. Tonight is the cardio funk class at the gym that I am excited about so I can still finish my Jillian routine before or after that. I feel that the main thing is to get into the habit of climbing out of bed. Some days are Rocky Theme Song kind of days and some are Come on Baby, Let’s Go Back to Bed. It took me well into October to get with a workout program that I think I can stick too, but here I am. The other day I was watching myself in the mirror while I did this weight machine and thought my arms and shoulders looked really buff! I’ve got some good muscle definition. These workouts really pay off!
Panic has set in for the blanket I am crocheting. Sure Christmas is a little over 2 months away, but I still have 4 crayons to make, a bunch of mini triangles for filler, the outline, the name and last but not least putting the whole thing together. Grandma HELP! I think my aunt mentioned having her come visit sometime; hopefully I can get up north to see her and get a brief tutorial. Or some free work. Show me how that seam stitch worked one more time? OK, not really. I’m doing the whole thing myself, but it will be nice to get Grandma’s approval on the work done to date.
This morning I got up and headed to the gym. It wasn’t too hard to wake up and get dressed, but once I got there it was really hard to want to work out. I had nothing. I showed up empty. I went home and back to bed after about 20 minutes or so. Tonight is the cardio funk class at the gym that I am excited about so I can still finish my Jillian routine before or after that. I feel that the main thing is to get into the habit of climbing out of bed. Some days are Rocky Theme Song kind of days and some are Come on Baby, Let’s Go Back to Bed. It took me well into October to get with a workout program that I think I can stick too, but here I am. The other day I was watching myself in the mirror while I did this weight machine and thought my arms and shoulders looked really buff! I’ve got some good muscle definition. These workouts really pay off!
Panic has set in for the blanket I am crocheting. Sure Christmas is a little over 2 months away, but I still have 4 crayons to make, a bunch of mini triangles for filler, the outline, the name and last but not least putting the whole thing together. Grandma HELP! I think my aunt mentioned having her come visit sometime; hopefully I can get up north to see her and get a brief tutorial. Or some free work. Show me how that seam stitch worked one more time? OK, not really. I’m doing the whole thing myself, but it will be nice to get Grandma’s approval on the work done to date.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Caffinated Lifestyle
I am going to buy a coffee maker. Nay, not just a coffee maker, but a lifestyle. It’s going to be able to make coffee and espresso; programmable, with an auto stop drip in case I need coffee right away. And maybe a coffee grinder. Black. Some stainless steel would be acceptable. See this coffee pot is not just a regular kitchen appliance purchase. It represents much more than that. I have decided to buy it after I complete 2 weeks of 6 AM workouts at the gym. So far I have completed 2 days and only have 6 to go (Friday I am joining Toastmasters so it will work out nicely). The coffee pot represents the kind of mornings I want to have. “We cannot become who we want to be by remaining who we are.” says Eleanor Roosevelt (or somebody wise). So the coffee pot is going to help me become a morning person. One who gets up early to get in a good strength training workout before an 8 hour work day. One who eats her English muffin and sips coffee while perusing a magazine at the table. One who is relaxed, on time and ready for the day. Yup. And all this is going to be mine for $80-$150 depending on the model.
Monday, October 8, 2007
TC 10 Mile
It is finished. A part of me is sad because I don’t want it to be over. The other part is very glad it is over! We shall see over the winter which side wins out by what my race plans hold for next season. :)
Running for me is not about the challenge of speed. It isn’t about beating other people and not often about beating my previous time. For me it’s about the feeling of accomplishment and teeth grinding drive it sometimes takes during training. It’s about the sense of accomplishment from pushing through something and working hard enough to see a goal through to the end. I did have a pace goal for this race; I wanted to run 11:00 min/mile. But when the results showed an average pace of 11:30 min/mile I didn’t care. I found a new love for running. I logged some good conversations with a good friend, six hilly miles with a great aunt, 8 miles of quiet solitude; all adding up to 200 miles in 13 weeks.
If there were an awards banquet, when I stood to get my T-Shirt this is what I would say:
“This was a great race and the 13 weeks leading up to it were no less than amazing. The support of others is critical to my success. Anyone who asks how I did it would only have to look at my network to know. By the grace of God, one foot in front of the other turned into mile after mile behind me. Thanks to my parents for always being my biggest fans. Thanks to my family who came out to watch the race. Thanks to the family and friends who listened to me talk about running, who wished me well, and were thinking about me and waiting to hear how I did afterwards. For all of this support I cannot thank you enough. You were on my mind for many miles.”
The other notable event for the day was watching the marathon runners finish. If you’ve never been to a race I would suggest going to the finish line of any marathon. It’s inspiring on so many levels. You can see the runners who have labored through every step and those that are seasoned and finishing strong; you see couples and mothers and daughters finishing together and proud. The look of determination on those runner’s faces is intoxicating. The inspiration you receive can translate to any challenge you choose to accept in life. It inspires me to want to work harder than I thought possible to get something that I thought was so out of reach because the victory looks so sweet. Of course the best look of all was the look on my boyfriends face when he saw us cheering at the finish line; smiling big, he kept bounding forward to cross the finish line. He looked great. I was worried the whole time watching other runners crippled with calf muscles so stiff they looked like bricks and seeing them wincing in pain and limping across the finish line. There was one lady who threw up next to me as soon as we crossed. This was some serious business and I knew I would lose it for sure if I saw him in that much pain. There was no way I could be strong in that situation. Luckily, I didn’t have too. He did it. He made it. I had seen what that run did to others and he did it. He was stronger than the hills, braver than the heat, and louder than the pain. And he says I inspired him.
Running for me is not about the challenge of speed. It isn’t about beating other people and not often about beating my previous time. For me it’s about the feeling of accomplishment and teeth grinding drive it sometimes takes during training. It’s about the sense of accomplishment from pushing through something and working hard enough to see a goal through to the end. I did have a pace goal for this race; I wanted to run 11:00 min/mile. But when the results showed an average pace of 11:30 min/mile I didn’t care. I found a new love for running. I logged some good conversations with a good friend, six hilly miles with a great aunt, 8 miles of quiet solitude; all adding up to 200 miles in 13 weeks.
If there were an awards banquet, when I stood to get my T-Shirt this is what I would say:
“This was a great race and the 13 weeks leading up to it were no less than amazing. The support of others is critical to my success. Anyone who asks how I did it would only have to look at my network to know. By the grace of God, one foot in front of the other turned into mile after mile behind me. Thanks to my parents for always being my biggest fans. Thanks to my family who came out to watch the race. Thanks to the family and friends who listened to me talk about running, who wished me well, and were thinking about me and waiting to hear how I did afterwards. For all of this support I cannot thank you enough. You were on my mind for many miles.”
The other notable event for the day was watching the marathon runners finish. If you’ve never been to a race I would suggest going to the finish line of any marathon. It’s inspiring on so many levels. You can see the runners who have labored through every step and those that are seasoned and finishing strong; you see couples and mothers and daughters finishing together and proud. The look of determination on those runner’s faces is intoxicating. The inspiration you receive can translate to any challenge you choose to accept in life. It inspires me to want to work harder than I thought possible to get something that I thought was so out of reach because the victory looks so sweet. Of course the best look of all was the look on my boyfriends face when he saw us cheering at the finish line; smiling big, he kept bounding forward to cross the finish line. He looked great. I was worried the whole time watching other runners crippled with calf muscles so stiff they looked like bricks and seeing them wincing in pain and limping across the finish line. There was one lady who threw up next to me as soon as we crossed. This was some serious business and I knew I would lose it for sure if I saw him in that much pain. There was no way I could be strong in that situation. Luckily, I didn’t have too. He did it. He made it. I had seen what that run did to others and he did it. He was stronger than the hills, braver than the heat, and louder than the pain. And he says I inspired him.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Who Knew?
I have completed session two of bellydancing and it is SO MUCH FUN!! Who knew it could be so difficult? Bellydancing is like Yoga, like Pilates, like so many things, if it isn’t hard you aren’t doing it right. Sure I could throw my hip and it would be easy, but it wouldn’t be isolated to my hip and I would be using the wrong muscles. Same with the snake arms. I can do about 2 and then my muscles are tired and the rolling motion goes down hill from there. And what is the matter with my left arm?? I can get my right arm to be somewhat fluid with the shoulder roll, but when I do the same on my left it is horribly mechanical and rigid. The teacher says we should get a hip scarf so we can see our movement more defined. I think I’ll save my money; let’s just say I don’t need a scarf to see a jiggle. It’s fun to dance and fun to be silly and the music is great. I should have my bellydancer friend burn me a good disc of music so I can practice at home – with the windows closed of course.
The October workout plan is going well so far. (and yes I do realize it has only been two days) The TC 10 Mile training is in its final week so I have started doing the workouts from Jillian Michael’s book Making The Cut. She is tough! But when I am done my muscles are going to bulge and my stomach is not going to bulge. The routine calls for 4 workouts a week so I’ve got the first two under my belt. The routing will be on a hiatus next week while I am home on vacation but I’m going to try to do some running while there. Oh and speaking of bulging muscles. My, what big hamstrings and quad I have! It’s not that I am bragging – “Look what I did” but more that I am sharing my astonishment. I know what my body was like and every time I see an admirable trait in myself, there is a little bit of shock associated with it because I’m flabbergasted that I, Susan B. Anthony, (name has been changed to protect anonymity) am capable of fitness! Who knew!?
I started back up crocheting the blanket for my cousin again. I am still missing an orange color so I had to skip one part and move on. But I started again, and already I am confused. I should have never gone this long without doing anything because I am afraid I lost it. Well, I guess I’ll have to put in call to the master crocheter herself: Grandma. I’m really good at starting things. Who knew my follow through leave something to be desired? :)
The October workout plan is going well so far. (and yes I do realize it has only been two days) The TC 10 Mile training is in its final week so I have started doing the workouts from Jillian Michael’s book Making The Cut. She is tough! But when I am done my muscles are going to bulge and my stomach is not going to bulge. The routine calls for 4 workouts a week so I’ve got the first two under my belt. The routing will be on a hiatus next week while I am home on vacation but I’m going to try to do some running while there. Oh and speaking of bulging muscles. My, what big hamstrings and quad I have! It’s not that I am bragging – “Look what I did” but more that I am sharing my astonishment. I know what my body was like and every time I see an admirable trait in myself, there is a little bit of shock associated with it because I’m flabbergasted that I, Susan B. Anthony, (name has been changed to protect anonymity) am capable of fitness! Who knew!?
I started back up crocheting the blanket for my cousin again. I am still missing an orange color so I had to skip one part and move on. But I started again, and already I am confused. I should have never gone this long without doing anything because I am afraid I lost it. Well, I guess I’ll have to put in call to the master crocheter herself: Grandma. I’m really good at starting things. Who knew my follow through leave something to be desired? :)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Bedtime Horrors
I had a dream. No, not the MLK Jr. type. A horrible dream type. I feel ready for this race. As ready as I can be. I practice hard, gave it my best, stuck to the plan and feel that I am ready. Last night I dreamt that we were staying at a hotel and on our way to the race line when halfway there I realized I forgot my GPS. I can NOT run without that so I jumped off the bus and had to run back to the hotel. Once there nothing seemed to move. I didn't have the room key so I had to get another one. Once in the room I found my GPS but left without my tag to get a bib number. Somewhere in between I had to go to my aunts house to borrow my cousin's calculus book to do a quick problem. Bizarre. I missed the last shuttle bus and had to run to the start and then realized I left my goo pack things and hydration belt. I think in the end of the dream I new that this race was a lost cause; that I wasn't prepared and wouldn't do well, BUT (and here is the feel good outcome) I was going to run it anyway. I knew I would walk, I knew it would be hard, but I was going to do it anyway. I'm ready.
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