Category: Motivation
Beating the Winter Blues
| February 9, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation |
It seems that lately I’ve been hit with a bad case of the winter blues. Whether it’s from the mountains of snow piled everywhere, or because every long run this training cycle has been been filled with frustration, or even because life at the moment seems to be standing still, the fact of the matter is that I just haven’t felt like myself. Even going away to Charlotte last week didn’t help snap me out of this funk. Although it was a little warmer, Charlotte weather was dreary and rainy, and my short visit to a place with snowless streets made it that much harder to come back. To make matters worse, Monday morning I got the worst kind of welcome back to New England — a bad run in with some black ice. While walking along a sidewalk near where I work, my feet flew out from under me and I landed hard on my backside (this was in public while wearing a skirt and carrying a mug of hot coffee, I might add). Fortunately I didn’t do any serious damage, but I fell so hard that it hurt to walk the rest of the day. And everything has been extremely sore and achey since…which means no running for me.
In the past, signing up for races and training through the winter has been enough to help me escape these blues. Having a big goal like a marathon to work toward keeps me motivated when the days are cold and short. It gives me structure, and it helps me see the value of each day I get to run as I build up a base and get stronger. But since my favorite part of marathon training (the long runs) hasn’t gone smoothly at all this time around, I find that I just can’t escape the slump. To say my motivation has been lacking would be an understatement.
But — as was bound to happen — last night I finally hit the breaking point. I was tired of coming home from work and feeling like a lump. Tired of feeling sorry for myself that my runs haven’t gone as planned and life this winter has been less than exciting. Tired of wishing away each day just to make it to spring. Because honestly, there are worse things in life than dealing with a tough winter.
So while I can’t control the weather to make the snow melt and the sun shine, there are other factors that affect the way I’m feeling on a regular basis. And I can definitely do something about those.
Beat the Winter Blues Plan
in other words, my “snap out of it!” plan
Last night I took a good hard look at a few things that I know I haven’t been good about lately and are probably making me feel like crap. From those things, I set some goals to focus on for the next couple of weeks.
1.) Sleep More
Ever since I was younger, sleep and I have had a tumultuous relationship. I’ve just never been very good at it. Not only does it take me a long time to fall asleep, but I’m a very light sleeper. So I have a hard time sleeping if there’s any sort of noise, or if I’m in an unfamiliar environment (like I was last week). The problem with this is that since I can’t fall asleep, I find myself staying up later and later. Even if I’m not doing anything, for some reason I find it better to be awake and tired on the couch than awake and frustrated in my bed. Don’t try to find the logic in this scenario, there isn’t any.
Obviously not getting enough sleep is a huge factor into your mood and how you feel. And with all the running I’m doing these days, sleep is especially important.
photo via stockforfood
So this week, I’m re-committing to a decent bedtime. So far, in the one night I’ve been doing this, I’ve done great. 
Last night I skipped blogging and went to bed before 10:00. And I already feel more rested. For the rest of the week, I’m going to aim to be asleep before 11, with 10:00 – 10:30 being the goal.
2.) Eat More {Balanced}
Traveling and eating out for every meal last week is only part of the problem. Lately, I’ve traded greens for chocolate more often than I should. While everyone around me is still committed to their New Year’s resolution of eating healthy, there’s just something about this cold weather that has me reaching for the comfort food. Plus, I’ll admit that it’s pretty easy to use marathon training as an excuse to eat extra baked goods and snack on junk. In case you’re wondering — it’s not. Just because you run extra long one day a week doesn’t necessarily mean you burn off enough calories to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. And even if it doesn’t go to your waist (or hips), eating less vegetables usually means getting less of the nutrition that you need. Especially when you eat a vegetarian diet.
I usually try to make sure I get all the vitamins I need through my diet, but it can be really easy for vegetarians to come up short in certain areas if they’re not careful. Because I’ve been dragging lately, I’ve made it a goal to take daily supplements of the vitamins that can be low from running a lot and/or a vegetarian diet: Iron and Vitamins B-6 and B-12. I’m hoping both will help my energy levels.
3) Drink More {Water}
A few weeks ago, I lost my favorite water bottle of all time. This was a very sad day for me, since I carried that thing with me wherever I went. Not only was it fun to drink from, but it held a lot of water. The water bottles I’ve been using lately just haven’t cut it, and I haven’t been doing a stellar job making sure I stay well hydrated. It doesn’t help that the air all around me is extremely dry — both from the cold outside and the constantly running heat inside. I need to make a conscious effort to drink more. The goal is to pee often and pee clear.
4.) Play More {Worry Less}
I admittedly have a hard time letting go of things I can’t control. Which means I get easily anxious about the smallest things. I need to remember that life is good and everything is going to work out whether I’m stressing over it or not. In other words, I need to relax. So what if it’s winter in New England and we have record amounts of snow?? Life is good! I have a healthy body that will let me go outside and play in it, and many wonderful people in my life to spend time with.
So in the spirit of playing more, tomorrow a group of us are going to Boston to see Hood to Coast in theaters. I’m so excited to see a movie about my favorite type of race ever: a 24-hour relay! If you’re in the area and want to join, let me know! I think you can still get tickets to the event (which you can buy here).
Runner’s Therapy: the power of a tempo run
| January 23, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation, Running |
First of all, I loved reading all of your confessions. And I’m happy to discover that I’m not the only one who ignores the treadmill’s incline button and doesn’t always shower on days I don’t work out. It’s the little things in life…
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In the spirit of confessions, I should admit that I’m not the best about doing regular speedwork. In fact, that’s what first drew me to marathons — training that just involved running at a slow, steady pace and no track workouts?? Sign me up!
But as I’m sure many of you know, if you want to get faster at any distance, eventually you’ve got to do some speedy runs. While I’ve done some sporadic speedwork in past training cycles, this is the first time I’ve been pretty diligent about doing it every week. Going in, my hope was that it would make me faster. What’s been surprising, however, is how therapeutic a tempo run can actually be.
A true example of this happened during my run on Friday. It was the end of a very tiring and frustrating week where I felt like I was in a constant battle with my body. All week long I had been fighting weird flu-like symptoms — extreme fatigue, headaches, nausea, and horrible muscle aches. And not “I’m feeling sore from a great workout” kind of aches, either. I wasn’t actually sick though, so I tried to just take it easy and slog through my workouts — doing the minimal amount just to get the training in. By the time Friday afternoon finally rolled around, I was ready to skip my workout altogether. My pup, my couch, and a warm drink were calling my name.
Somehow, I got my tired butt to the gym. And wouldn’t you know it — in spite of everything, I ended up having an amazing run. It’s funny how sometimes running (or whatever other activity we really enjoy) can give us exactly what we need when we least expect it.
So the next time you’re having a rough day, week, or even month, instead of curling up on the couch, try a little Running Therapy — in the form of a glorious tempo run.
HOTR Tempo Therapy
1.) First of all, forget lifting, cross training, or yoga. It doesn’t matter what your schedule says — all you need right now is a little quality time on the treadmill (or roads if you’re outside).
2.) Put on your headphones, but skip over your usual running playlist filled with crappy pop music and hip hop songs. Those are great most days, but just aren’t gonna cut it tonight. Instead, turn on something that has a lot more emotion to it, and lyrics with actual meaning. Something like “Little Lion Man” by Mumford & Sons (yes, I am admittedly obsessed).
Click to watch on YouTube
3.) As you start your run, turn up that music so loud that you can feel it envelop you (this is why I’d recommend the treadmill). if you can still hear the treadmill or other gym goers around you, your music isn’t loud enough. Seriously — stop worrying about bursting your eardrums. Just turn that baby up until you can feel every beat of the drum and strum of the bass guitar in your bones.
4.) The first chords begin to play, and amazingly enough, you will feel your legs start loosening up. Suddenly all that anger and frustration you’ve been holding in all week will start to build up. As you focus on the crescendo of the song, channel that frustration into your legs. You’ll be filled by a surge of energy you didn’t know you had.
5.) But don’t get too excited yet. Let yourself warm up for a mile or so. Go back to the beginning of “Little Lion Man” and listen to it again. Finally, when you can’t stand going slow any longer, hit that speed button until you’re running at a fast tempo pace. Stop worrying about how tired you were feeling, how awful your runs have been all week, and how you had expected to just slog through this one. Just listen to your music and run.
6.) And run and run and run. Keep running and listening to that same song on repeat until
a.) the song starts losing it’s power to motivate. In which case, I’d suggest switching to “The Cave,” “Roll Away Your Stone,” “Awake My Soul,” or “Winter Winds.” (Yes, they’re all Mumford & Sons songs. I told you I was obsessed.**)
b.) all the anger has melted away and instead you suddenly feel a strong urge to leap off the treadmil and dance a jig around the gym, or
c.) you want to throw up. Option C isn’t exactly recommended, but if you’re already feeling a little “off” your stomach may feel the need to remind you that you don’t actually have wings or superhuman running powers.
Yes, if others heard what you were doing, they may think you’re a bit crazy. But this is therapy. Don’t question it. Just trust in the process.
7.) Cool down, go home, clean up, eat a dinner packed with veggies, snack on some chocolate, and go to bed at 10:30, despite the fact that it’s a Friday night. You’ll be guaranteed to wake up the next morning feeling like a new (wo)man.
And that’s all there is too it! Obviously some days running is going to be tough no matter what. But sometimes, if you can just get yourself moving, you’ll be surprised by how much better a nice, hard run can make you feel.
**But really, although I might have an unnatural love for them, Mumford & Sons makes a great running soundtrack. The music is packed with emotion and pretty much every song has a great crescendo that’ll really get you moving! So download it. Now.
How to Set SMART Fitness Goals
| January 6, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation |
Even though we are a people that love to set resolutions at the beginning of a new year, the sad reality is that the majority of us will fail to achieve them. How many swear they’re going to lose weight for the umpteenth year in a row? Or say that this is the year they will “get healthy” only to stop going to the gym after one month?
picture via someecards.com
Unfortunately, after a few years of this, setting resolutions can become something to avoid. After all, why would you consistently set yourself up for failure? Why not just live in the moment and see where the year takes you?
But what if I told you there was a better way? What if you could set yourself up with a better chance of success? The trick is, you’ve just got to be SMART about it.
Back in October, Jen wrote a great post about setting SMART goals for her marathon. You should read her post for more background (and for a great example of analyzing a goal to see if it meets the criteria), but basically, goals that are SMART are;
S – specific: this is the who, what, when, where, and how of your goal.
M – measurable: you’ve got to be able to measure your goal in some way. Otherwise how will you know if you’ve reached it?
A - attainable: if you really want to set yourself up for success, the goal should be something you can feasibly attain (i.e. winning the lottery so you can quit that job you hate is probably not a good goal).
R - realistic: something that you are willing and able to work toward. This doesn’t mean you can’t set the bar high — sometimes just fully believing something can be accomplished can make it realistic.
T – timely: your goal(s) should have a specific time-line; a date by which you want to achieve them. This will motivate you to get started.
Transforming Your Resolutions Into SMART Goals
To make your health and fitness resolutions SMART, you just have to do a little crafting. For example, let’s take a common resolution: “to get healthy”
1.) Make it specific. This is actually why I prefer the term “goals” to resolution. A resolution implies you are deciding something; a goal implies a specific action you want to take.
Obviously as it stands right now, “get healthy” is not very specfic. There are many ways to get healthy — from stopping smoking, to eating more produce, to getting more exercise. But even saying something like “eating more fruits and veggies” or “exercising more” isn’t specific enough. To really be SMART about it, you need to define exactly what you want to do.
Specific goal: Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, at least 3 days a week. Even better: “do at least 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio a day, five days of the week” (this is the recommended guideline for healthy adults under the age of 65).
2.) Make it measurable. How are you going to track your progress? Making it concrete will not only help you stay on track, but it can also give you motivation along the way as you reach mini milestones.
photo via Darren Hester
The specific goal above is clearly measurable. Success can be measured based on how often you exercise each week. But you don’t even have to be that prescriptive. The examples below are both specific and measurable:
Set a new 5K/10K/marathon PR (personal record)
Build up to being able to run for an hour
Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
3.) Make sure it’s attainable. Now I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t set the bar high or shoot for the stars. But sometimes when we set grand goals that we really aren’t in a place to achieve, we’re actually setting ourselves up for failure and discouragement. I think this is why so many people give up on their resolutions after a few months. On January 1st they may be fired up to change and proudly declare: “I’m going to the gym every day!” only to find that life gets in the way and doing that is pretty near impossible. Instead, it’s much better to start small. Or to create intermediate goals and celebrate small victories along the way.
For example, an attainable goal for me is to “train for and complete the National Marathon in March.” An unattainable goal would be to run every single day, or to win that marathon (as amazing as that would be!!).
4.) Make it realistic. If you aren’t a runner (or just hate running), running a marathon probably is not a realistic goal for you at the moment. That doesn’t mean you can never do one, but if you want to make sure that your goal is something you can achieve in the next year, you have to look at where you are now, and start from there. Similarly, it has to be a goal you’re willing to put in the work for. For example, committing to doing yoga 5+ days a week is not a realistic goal for me. I love running too much to cut back on it enough to pursue something else — even if that something could be really good for me.
Sometimes making something realistic might mean adding in the phrase: “I will do my best.” We can’t expect ourselves to be perfect. I’m very committed to my goal of running a speedy spring marathon, but I still slipped and failed to get in my training runs over the holidays.
Realistic Goal: “I will try my best to limit desserts, aiming to eat no more than 3 desserts per week.” (vs. vowing to never eat dessert again — which isn’t realistic for me, anyway).
5.) Set a time-frame! This is probably one of the most important pieces. Without any sort of deadline, we don’t have any real motivation to make a change. I am pretty much the Queen of Procrastination. If I don’t give myself a specific date to start and a specific date to end, I will most likely put it off. Especially if the change is hard or the task is unpleasant.
(Source)
Telling yourself you’re going to start exercising or you’re going to build up to run for an hour isn’t enough. When do you want to achieve this by? Next year? In two months? Having a goal will keep you motivated, and will also help you keep track of your progress.
Timely Goal: Starting next week, I am going to do some form of cardio for at least 30 minutes, at least 3 days each week. I will to commit to this schedule for the next 3 months.
Setting SMART goals doesn’t mean you’ll never experience failure or setbacks. But it does give you something concrete to work toward and can increase your chances of being successful in 2011.
When you sit down to look at your goals for 2011, are they SMART? Or do they need a little tweaking?
Today: Go for a run!
| November 7, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation, Running |
Did you know that today a big day in the world of running? In addition to the 2010 ING New York City Marathon, today is World Run Day! This is a new event that was created as a way to celebrate the sport of running all around the world. Official World Run Day activities are being hosted all over to promote running, charitable giving, and mobilize the running community. Although it’s too late to sign up as an official participant, it’s not too late to celebrate!
Today, I encourage you to join up with other runners from all over the world and go for a run! It doesn’t matter how fast or how far you go, just lace up those shoes, hit the road, and run.
I actually haven’t run one step since the Cape Cod Marathon last weekend. I could feel my body wearing down, and knew that it needed a break. Although it’s felt weird to not be running, I have to say that I’ve enjoyed every minute of this well-deserved rest. Over the course of the week, I’ve felt the energy slowly returning and now I’m itching to run again. I can’t think of a better day to get back into running than World Run Day!
Logging My Workouts
In other running news, I’ve always been really bad about logging my workouts. I’ve tried to keep a running log in the past, but every time I get a few weeks in, I just lose interest. Which is a shame, because recording your workouts can be a great source of motivation. Plus, it’s an easy way to look back and see how far you’ve come.
So, I’ve finally taken the plunge and joined Daily Mile. What could be easier than recording your activities online? I’ve found myself getting more and more interested in joining for awhile now, but still found myself hesitating. Then when Aron described it as being like Facebook but with runners just talking about running, I was finally sold. I went online, created a quick profile, and logged the one and only workout I’ve done in the past week (unless you count leisurely walks with the pup). I’ll admit I don’t know all that much about it, but if you’re on Daily Mile look me up, I need some friends. (My user name is LBontherun).
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do some errands, run, and then watch the recap of the NYC Marathon on TV. A little lame to be watching the race from my couch hours after it’s over, but it’s about as close to the excitement as I’ll be able to get!
3 Minutes to Inspire; 4 Years to Change the World
| August 16, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation |
This week, I’m feeling particularly inspired. I’m currently in beautiful North Carolina for a course on Obesity Prevention in Public Health. All week long, I get to eat amazing food (maybe too amazing for an obesity prevention conference 
), meet interesting people, and learn about how the environment impacts our health and, more importantly, what we can do to change this. Listening to experts and participating in discussions about policy and media strategies that can change environments to support healthy choices is the kind of stuff I live for! So even though the days are long, the time goes by fast as I try to soak in as much information as my brain can handle.
I’ve only been here for 2 days, but I’ve already been given so much to think and write about. For the moment, I’m just taking it all in and getting inspired to bring these lessons back home with me.
But, believe it or not, that’s not the only reason I’m feeling inspired lately. Today, I actually want to share something completely different. Something beyond the scope of what I normally write about on this blog. But something that moved me so much, I knew I had to pass it along.
A few days ago, a colleague shared with me a video that got me thinking about health in more general terms. It’s easy (for most) to think about our own health and what we can do to improve it. And we can probably talk about improving the health of our family, of our communities, or even our nation. But what about the health of the world? Not only the health of all mankind, but the health of the very earth itself.
Of course in this case, I am speaking of health in the very broadest sense of the word. While it’s clear that we live in a time of many great changes and opportunities, we are also facing some serious, serious problems. Climate change, pollution, hunger, disease, persecution, injustice. The list goes on and on. Looking at all these challenges and the destructive path that we’re on can be overwhelming. Changing the behavior of one person is hard enough, but changing the behaviors of the entire world?! It’s enough to make you throw up your hands and scream, “I give up!”
But – there’s a new campaign that wants to jolt us out of our helplessness and inaction, and motivate each and every one of us to join together to make this change possible. It’s not run by any one organization, but instead wants to be a collective movement – a goal for every organization, every person.
The movement is called FOUR YEARS. GO. And it’s goals are lofty.
From the website:
A campaign to change the course of history. Really.
It’s time to make a choice. We can let present trends continue and risk almost certain breakdown and collapse.
Or… We can act and set humanity on a new course toward a just, thriving and sustainable world.
The choice is clear. We already possess the tools to shape our future. What’s missing is our collective will to act.
Four years is enough time to build that will, to change our direction, even to transform ourselves. And Go because we must start now.
There is still time to act, but no time to waste.
Have you heard of FOUR YEARS. GO.? I’m interested to hear your thoughts about this movement. And, of course, if you were inspired or moved in any way by the video, I strongly encourage you to pass it on. We only have 4 years, after all…
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