We've all been there, wanting to cry and punch ourselves in the face after a long day of work or procrastination; time slips by us, soon it is midnight, and all we can think about is how we missed another day of running.
Why is it so hard to make time for something that makes us feel so awesome? Well, there are only 24 hours in a day. Whether laziness or uber-busyness is your personal culprit, there are a few ways to get in that run.
1. Get Up Earlier: This is by far the suckiest, yet most successful option. Who actually wants to get up earlier? No one. I like sleeping in, and I never want to leave my bed. To do this, you must remember that the most difficult part is simply going to be not returning to your bed after you get up and use the bathroom. DON'T DO IT. Put your running clothes and shoes on as fast as possible and never look back. I recommend trying this option two days a week at first, right in a row, and shoot for a half hour run on both days. Ease into it. That way you don't feel as traumatized. I also think 6:30am is the magical number for people who have night jobs, or go to bed late. You can always take a nap later on in the day, and as long as you get at least six hours of sleep, you'll be able to get up. Getting up early, running in the crisp, fresh dawn air, and dealing with less sounds and people is truly relaxing. Give it a few tries, and you will enjoy it. Just remember to eat sometime light before you go out, or you will feel zapped of energy.
2. Carry Your Shoes Wherever You Go: You don't carry around things you don't use, do you? So carry your shoes in your bag all day as a constant reminder of what you have to make time for today--running.
3. Eat Right and Skip the Booze: The healthier your habits, the more healthy habits you want to adopt. It's like a domino effect. Each time I go on a big running kick, if I change my habits as well, I often train smarter and run harder. Eating better just naturally gives me a boost and makes me feel good even on days I don't run. Skipping the booze lends a big hand to Number 1, and falls right into line of being responsible for what you do to your body.
4. Watch the original Rocky, then go download the theme song onto your i-tunes. This kept me going for about 13 days straight once. I felt like a total badass.
5. Focus on a 15 Minute, Out-and-Back Route: This method is extremely successful for me on busy days. I wear my watch and head out the door, clipping at a decent pace for the first eight minutes. Wherever I am at eight minutes, I turn around and run back for the other seven. I use the same route every time I only have 15 minutes to run so I can see if I get any further within the 15 minutes. You can see a lot of improvement, and that is very satisfying, even if it is such a short chunk of time. Make your 15 minute run the best, most badass part of your day, and own it.
Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up if you don't get your run in. Just remind yourself of how important it is to do the next time. You can always justify reading, watching a show, taking time for yourself as mental training for any longer races you're training for--what else are you going to be thinking about during four hours of marathoning? I have definitely found it helpful to have a plethora of quotes memorized on those runs with longer mileage, but I also needed time at some point to memorize them. Do something great for your mind if you can't run, and again, don't be so hard on yourself. There's always tomorrow.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
No Baggage
As many of you may have already heard, the New York Road Runners announced their new, no baggage policy for the ING NYC Marathon last week. As you can imagine, thousands of runners are pissed. I, myself, was livid for a solid five minutes, and then I shrugged my shoulders and decided to leave a backpack with a bartender I know near the finish line so I could change clothes later. I'm lucky to have the option.
What does the new, no baggage policy have to do with this blog post? Well, it has everything to do with my training, for one. For about a week, I have struggled on the simplest of runs--peetering out during six milers, and taking walk breaks on hot and humid four mile, what should have been tempo runs. With the marathon barely two months away, these workouts should be a cakewalk. Yet, every time I've struggled, I've failed and struggled more. What the hell am I holding onto?
A few months ago, I had someone tell me that he didn't think I would know what to do with myself if I didn't have my running shoes. He didn't mean it in a complimentary way, and I knew it. The truth is, he is more than right, and he is completely wrong--I am everything because of what I've accomplished in these shoes. I'll explain:
Not everyone decides to run a marathon. Its appeal lies amongst the strangest of people. Some may call us a sadistic bunch to want to get black toenails and put our bodies through that amount of stress. I've had several friends call me crazy when they see I am up at 5 am on a Saturday to run half marathons in Brooklyn, when they are just ending their Friday nights. I won't deny it. But I will say that before I ran NYC in 2010, I was holding onto a lot of self-doubt in my life, a lot of negativity, and a lot of "I can't". Running that distance was freeing to me; it was like adding years of therapy to my life, when in fact, all I did was physically release any doubt I carried. Finishing is the ultimate icing. Think of the most difficult task you've ever had to complete in your life--now imagine hundreds of thousands of people, holding up signs, chanting your name, cheering for you until you finally complete that task. That's the marathon. Strangers, friends, and family--heck, an entire city--rooting for you to finish, even though your body says differently. And the only way to finish is to forget the pain you've endured, forget the struggle, let go of the baggage, and run.
In reality, letting go is the only way to make room for the fresh goods life has in store. It was a struggle, but I finally was able to finish a decent ten miles in the heat with a friend on Sunday. After two days of rest and some time to think about my new plan of attack, I say, bring it on, Marathon Training. My heaviness is behind me.
What does the new, no baggage policy have to do with this blog post? Well, it has everything to do with my training, for one. For about a week, I have struggled on the simplest of runs--peetering out during six milers, and taking walk breaks on hot and humid four mile, what should have been tempo runs. With the marathon barely two months away, these workouts should be a cakewalk. Yet, every time I've struggled, I've failed and struggled more. What the hell am I holding onto?
A few months ago, I had someone tell me that he didn't think I would know what to do with myself if I didn't have my running shoes. He didn't mean it in a complimentary way, and I knew it. The truth is, he is more than right, and he is completely wrong--I am everything because of what I've accomplished in these shoes. I'll explain:
Not everyone decides to run a marathon. Its appeal lies amongst the strangest of people. Some may call us a sadistic bunch to want to get black toenails and put our bodies through that amount of stress. I've had several friends call me crazy when they see I am up at 5 am on a Saturday to run half marathons in Brooklyn, when they are just ending their Friday nights. I won't deny it. But I will say that before I ran NYC in 2010, I was holding onto a lot of self-doubt in my life, a lot of negativity, and a lot of "I can't". Running that distance was freeing to me; it was like adding years of therapy to my life, when in fact, all I did was physically release any doubt I carried. Finishing is the ultimate icing. Think of the most difficult task you've ever had to complete in your life--now imagine hundreds of thousands of people, holding up signs, chanting your name, cheering for you until you finally complete that task. That's the marathon. Strangers, friends, and family--heck, an entire city--rooting for you to finish, even though your body says differently. And the only way to finish is to forget the pain you've endured, forget the struggle, let go of the baggage, and run.
In reality, letting go is the only way to make room for the fresh goods life has in store. It was a struggle, but I finally was able to finish a decent ten miles in the heat with a friend on Sunday. After two days of rest and some time to think about my new plan of attack, I say, bring it on, Marathon Training. My heaviness is behind me.
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