How often do we allow ourselves to be tired? Why don't we give ourselves permission to be tired? It seems there has to be a "valid" reason for fatigue. What is a valid reason? Stress, whether it is physical or emotional can be exhausting. If you are tired, you are tired. As "they" say nowadays, it is what it is. So, if you are tired, you are tired. Take care of yourself.
About this time in our marathon training program (week 31 of 40) I send out an email to our participants letting them know that it is perfectly normal to be unusually tired right now. The mileage is high, it is hot outside and they have been training hard for quite a while. I tell them to pay attention to their bodies and rest as needed. When I am in the midst of marathon training, I feel perfectly justified to rest. When I am not, I often suffer from guilt if I am tired.
I am not training for a marathon right now, but I am tired. I am going to follow my own advice. When you are tired, rest. Personal motivator, Jim Rohn, says "Only rest long enough to gather strength". Good advice. Rest is for gathering strength and right now I am all out of strength.
I think I'll rest a bit.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Doing it for someone else
One of the most difficult things about my job (there are not many) is that I can't do it for someone else. I can encourage, teach, motivate, but in the end it is each person's decision to do it or not. Every day we all face a choice - what will I do with my time, talents, resources, etc.?
Throughout the 5+ years of Marathon Makeover, I have seen all kinds of people train for and finish a marathon. Tall, short, fat, skinny, happy, sad, quiet, loud, kind, mean - you name it, I've seen it. All types have come to us wanting to finish a marathon. They also come with all kinds of reasons ranging from wanting to get healthy to wanting to mark it off of their bucket list. I have seen a lot of these folks through to the finish and some have chosen not to continue. Unfortunately, a few could not continue or finish because of injury, illness or life circumstances and that can be so disappointing. There are those who don't continue because they just don't believe that they can do it. That makes me feel sad. My belief for someone will only carry them so far. In so many areas of life, you have to have that belief in yourself, that you can do it - whatever it is. Sometimes this has to be believed while most around you are telling you it is impossible - or crazy! It is in these times that you must bend your head into the wind and press on and just keep moving. During training, one must fight back the negative and push towards the positive.
There is a shift that occurs, however. This is what I call the magic of the finish line. Each year, we have participants show up at the starting line still doubting their ability to finish. I continually tell them that they can. A part of them must believe it or they wouldn't be there. And then. And then they do it. They run the race and they finish. I don't do it for them - THEY do it. Their belief system begins to change. It invades every part of their lives. That's what happens when you do something you were not sure you could do - something others told you you could not do. It causes you to step back and reevaluate everything in your life, especially your self limiting beliefs.
I love it when people get there but I can't get there for them. I can help them get there. I can encourage them along the way and I can tell them how to get there. In the end, it is their choice. Choices can be difficult. Choices make all of the difference in our lives.
Throughout the 5+ years of Marathon Makeover, I have seen all kinds of people train for and finish a marathon. Tall, short, fat, skinny, happy, sad, quiet, loud, kind, mean - you name it, I've seen it. All types have come to us wanting to finish a marathon. They also come with all kinds of reasons ranging from wanting to get healthy to wanting to mark it off of their bucket list. I have seen a lot of these folks through to the finish and some have chosen not to continue. Unfortunately, a few could not continue or finish because of injury, illness or life circumstances and that can be so disappointing. There are those who don't continue because they just don't believe that they can do it. That makes me feel sad. My belief for someone will only carry them so far. In so many areas of life, you have to have that belief in yourself, that you can do it - whatever it is. Sometimes this has to be believed while most around you are telling you it is impossible - or crazy! It is in these times that you must bend your head into the wind and press on and just keep moving. During training, one must fight back the negative and push towards the positive.
There is a shift that occurs, however. This is what I call the magic of the finish line. Each year, we have participants show up at the starting line still doubting their ability to finish. I continually tell them that they can. A part of them must believe it or they wouldn't be there. And then. And then they do it. They run the race and they finish. I don't do it for them - THEY do it. Their belief system begins to change. It invades every part of their lives. That's what happens when you do something you were not sure you could do - something others told you you could not do. It causes you to step back and reevaluate everything in your life, especially your self limiting beliefs.
I love it when people get there but I can't get there for them. I can help them get there. I can encourage them along the way and I can tell them how to get there. In the end, it is their choice. Choices can be difficult. Choices make all of the difference in our lives.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
You can always go farther
It is Saturday, so it is a long run day for us and our participants. It is a long run, but short mileage. Well, relatively short. You see, we are at the end of our training so a 7 - 9 mile run is considered short. A few months ago, it would have been considered long. It is all relative, right? Next week will be 18 miles. Yikes. THAT is a long run. That is, unless you are training for a 50 or 100 miler. Hmmm....I think 18 miles will always be a long run for me.
Thinking about long mileage started me thinking about the fact that you can always do more and go farther than you think you can. I guess it depends on your motivation. How badly do you want it? Those who hang in there and train for a marathon up to 18 miles must want it pretty badly. For every person out there training, there is a unique reason that motivates them. What motivates you?
We encourage our participants at the beginning of our training to discover their "why". Knowing what your why is helps to keep you focused. There are days when you don't want to get out of bed, much less put in your time or miles. Your why must be powerful enough to get you up and out the door. Your why is a powerful thing. My why has changed over the years. Now, I run to be healthy, to be my best for me and for those around me. I run because I tell others that I believe they can too. I feel a responsibility to them to keep moving.
If you are reading this and you have never stopped to think about why you do what you do, I encourage you to think about it. What is your why? Why do you get out of bed in the morning?
Thinking about long mileage started me thinking about the fact that you can always do more and go farther than you think you can. I guess it depends on your motivation. How badly do you want it? Those who hang in there and train for a marathon up to 18 miles must want it pretty badly. For every person out there training, there is a unique reason that motivates them. What motivates you?
We encourage our participants at the beginning of our training to discover their "why". Knowing what your why is helps to keep you focused. There are days when you don't want to get out of bed, much less put in your time or miles. Your why must be powerful enough to get you up and out the door. Your why is a powerful thing. My why has changed over the years. Now, I run to be healthy, to be my best for me and for those around me. I run because I tell others that I believe they can too. I feel a responsibility to them to keep moving.
If you are reading this and you have never stopped to think about why you do what you do, I encourage you to think about it. What is your why? Why do you get out of bed in the morning?
Friday, August 7, 2009
One of those days
Some days it's just hard to get out of bed. For me, that's one of the hardest things about training for a marathon. There are days when I just don't feel like training, yet I need to get up and put in my time or miles. Luckily, today is NOT one of those days when I have to train. It is Friday, which means, it is a rest day. Whew! I didn't sleep well and don't feel well. Oh well.
You may wonder what I would do if it was a training day. One of two things - I would either force myself to get on up, lace up my shoes and head out the door or I would take an extra rest day. Sometimes our bodies just need to rest and sometimes it is a mental thing and we need to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. It is a balance which can be difficult to find. Isn't that a struggle for many areas of our lives?
Finding balance in all that we do can be challenging. We all have 24 hours in a day - how are you going to spend yours? Working, playing, spending time with family? Training for a marathon forces me to carve out time for exercise 5 -6 days out of the week. Because I am organizing that time, it carries over into other areas of my life and helps me to organize my time for work, play and family.
One of the ways I do this is to make a list, or two lists: a daily list and a "running" list. The daily list is just what it says it is. It is a list of the things I need to get done that day. The running list is list of things that need to get done, whether it be today or the next week, month, etc.
When things are written down, I am less likely to forget to take care of them. Putting them on a list frees my mind to think about other things. Keeping a list also keeps me focused. Speaking of lists, since "radio show" is first on my list today, I'd better get up and get going!
Gotta run!
You may wonder what I would do if it was a training day. One of two things - I would either force myself to get on up, lace up my shoes and head out the door or I would take an extra rest day. Sometimes our bodies just need to rest and sometimes it is a mental thing and we need to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. It is a balance which can be difficult to find. Isn't that a struggle for many areas of our lives?
Finding balance in all that we do can be challenging. We all have 24 hours in a day - how are you going to spend yours? Working, playing, spending time with family? Training for a marathon forces me to carve out time for exercise 5 -6 days out of the week. Because I am organizing that time, it carries over into other areas of my life and helps me to organize my time for work, play and family.
One of the ways I do this is to make a list, or two lists: a daily list and a "running" list. The daily list is just what it says it is. It is a list of the things I need to get done that day. The running list is list of things that need to get done, whether it be today or the next week, month, etc.
When things are written down, I am less likely to forget to take care of them. Putting them on a list frees my mind to think about other things. Keeping a list also keeps me focused. Speaking of lists, since "radio show" is first on my list today, I'd better get up and get going!
Gotta run!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
My first confession
My first confession was made "public" on our way to the airport to catch our flight to Chicago for the 2004 Chicago Marathon. In the car was Mark, our friend Matt and fellow marathoner, Rodney. We were packed up, loaded up and headed out. Woo. hoo. I remember sitting there, listening to them talk about how excited they were. I was silent and someone noticed. Rodney asked, "Robin, aren't you excited about running your first marathon?" As I always try to give an honest answer, I told him that quite frankly, "No, not really - you see, I don't enjoy running. In fact, I hate it."
After a moment of stunned silence, someone asked me, "Then why are you doing this?" Good question. I answered, "Because I don't want to quit - I want to finish this."
I am not a quitter. I don't like to leave things undone, although, you would never guess this if you visited my home!
This is the major reason I saw that first training season through to the end - I don't like to quit or to feel like I have been beaten. I think most of us feel that way and if we do quit, we are our harshest critic.
Now you may wonder if I feel the same way. Do I still hate to run? No! I love to run, however, it does not come easily and it was not an overnight change. After I finished my first marathon, I considered it over and done. I had no intention of continuing. Then the friends and family members of those we had taken to Chicago started asking, "You are going to do this again - right?" It seemed to be a no-brainer. We seemed to have stumbled onto something that could change peoples' lives for the better. That was a big step towards what is now Marathon Makeover. We have evolved a lot since then and will continue to improve in the years to come. I have gone on to complete two more marathons and am still running.
The best part of running, for me, are the benefits of running. I feel better about myself, more confident. I am healthier - mentally AND physically. When I run, it is time for me. I have more energy and enjoy life more.
I call myself a reluctant marathoner because I don't "look" like a marathoner and a lot of the time, I don't "act" like a marathoner - but guess what! I AM a marathoner!
After a moment of stunned silence, someone asked me, "Then why are you doing this?" Good question. I answered, "Because I don't want to quit - I want to finish this."
I am not a quitter. I don't like to leave things undone, although, you would never guess this if you visited my home!
This is the major reason I saw that first training season through to the end - I don't like to quit or to feel like I have been beaten. I think most of us feel that way and if we do quit, we are our harshest critic.
Now you may wonder if I feel the same way. Do I still hate to run? No! I love to run, however, it does not come easily and it was not an overnight change. After I finished my first marathon, I considered it over and done. I had no intention of continuing. Then the friends and family members of those we had taken to Chicago started asking, "You are going to do this again - right?" It seemed to be a no-brainer. We seemed to have stumbled onto something that could change peoples' lives for the better. That was a big step towards what is now Marathon Makeover. We have evolved a lot since then and will continue to improve in the years to come. I have gone on to complete two more marathons and am still running.
The best part of running, for me, are the benefits of running. I feel better about myself, more confident. I am healthier - mentally AND physically. When I run, it is time for me. I have more energy and enjoy life more.
I call myself a reluctant marathoner because I don't "look" like a marathoner and a lot of the time, I don't "act" like a marathoner - but guess what! I AM a marathoner!
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