How do you find motivation?

When I began running last year, I really needed to motivate myself to get out there. I was really out of shape, obese to be frank, and running hurt. My ankles, knees, and hips squealed on a regular basis. I really needed to mentally push myself to get out there. It wasn't easy. These days, I don't have to look for motivation on getting out there but rather on the finer points.

Back in November, I felt like I was stagnating a bit. I think I had crossed a threshold in my running and I needed to do more but I hadn't realized it. The injuries didn't really help much. When I pushed my base run from 3 to 4 miles I noticed big changes in my abilities. So how do I get motivated these days now that I have increased my work load?

Well it seems that I have been employing a tried and tested motivational method used for centuries. This technique originates in Ireland. Ireland you say, exactly I say. You see what I do is tie an angry Leprechaun on my shoulder before I set out on my run. The Leprechaun, or Mr. O'Toole, will berate me with profanities while hitting me with a stick (or shillelagh) when I don't run fast enough. This is quite similar to Luke Skywalker lugging around Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back (well without the sentence confusion). -- Run you will-- This seems to do the trick without much in the way of added weight.

No really that is how I do it, well not really these are my tried and trued motivational tricks.

1. Right now Dean Karnazes is in the middle of a 50 mile run, I can do 4 right?
2. the Mantra - small hill, small hill or I don't know how to quit, I don't know how to quit -- Well you get the idea.
3. I always feel better after a run than before no matter how bad I am feeling.
4. Set small and consistent goals: At the start of the week I try to set some goals for the week. This is beyond just 4 miles on Monday and 9 on Saturday. Rather, I like to set some time goals for certain runs. I don't always get there but pushing myself to get better keeps me at it.
5. Set big goals: for me this year the big one is the Philadelphia Marathon, 26.2. It is a big goal and I know I have to be very consistent to get there. This makes skipping on runs and giving in to fatigue during a run less likely. Rob if you are going to run 26 you need to be able to do 10 with no trouble, for example
6. Gifting: I am a big kid in many ways. I like a new toy and I usually make this result related. If can do x then I will get a new running top, pair of shoes, etc. This along with the angry leprechaun are usually enough motivation to meet my goals.
7. Responsibility - I will tell you folks the brutal truth of what I am doing. If I slack then I have to admit that. This keeps me going. Oh my what would ... Jason, Nancy, Dave and others think if I gave in now. I don't have much quit in me, but this keeps me more honest.
8. My Scale - I remind myself of my weight when I get out the door. Then I remind myself of how far I am away from my goal weight. Where am I am now -- where is my goal - one angry leprechaun saying things I can't repeat and this gets me running surer than anything.

So if you can't find an angry leprechaun or a sasquatch to help motivate you then these 8 things might help, or not. Maybe you have your own list.

I need running

I have been going through some trying times as of late, I will term it as "family related stress" or FRS. Nothing like putting three letters together to make something sound very bad - oh he has FRS, so sad. I am trying to stay up beat about this and many will note that my posts are less frequent and much shorter as of late. But I felt the need today to do a bit of running affirmation. I am inspired by Non-Runner Nancy's latest post on her running efforts. To that end I thought I would do a little running affirmation time here.

1. Since I started running March it has become part of my life. It is something I schedule and something I look forward too. It is not I have to run tomorrow, it is I get to run tomorrow. I am not much of a jump up and down type, or I might be but my deluded serious self image prevents it. I jump up and down on the inside.

2. When I run a race, I get new clothes. I can always use a new t-shirt, excellent. Then I get to exercise with some great people. Because all runners are great people, everyone of us. For all the cyclist observations on runners being grim, I don't see it. Every time I talk to a runner they are approachable, engaging and helpful. In short runners are good people, which means that I am a good person too. See how I did that, I complimented a group and then added myself to the group, thereby complimenting myself. Neat huh?

3. In my life I collect a lot of stress. I have the aforementioned FRS and I also have "work related stress" also known as WRS. Now I will admit that I have far less WRS than FRS because I have an awesome job with great co-workers and partners with realistic world views. So I have less WRS as a result. However, I do collect some and that is added to the FRS. When I run, I can decompress that stress and just concentrate on running. Much like a Calgon commercial, my troubles are gone when I run, it is just me and the road/ trail. It is my zen moment as it were. I can forget about it all for as long as I go that day.

4. Tracking progress is key in all this. I know that when I ran my first race back in May I was really, really slow. I mean I was trucking along at my slow pace during the race and a bike medic pedaled next to me to see if I was o.k. I mean I weighed 280 so he probably had reason to keep an eye on me. I was pushing a 15:00 pace back then. This last weekend I did 11:26 pace over 5 miles. That is great for me. I can see the progress and I like that. It is not as easy in my martial arts practice to see as there is so much more to evaluate to see if you are making progress. Both are challenging just in different ways. I will never be fast but I will get faster. I would like to eventually do a half marathon at a 10:00 pace throughout, not too lofty.

5. As I said before, I run because I can. I almost hit 300 pounds, a scary thought really. I was almost at the point where I could not run, I mean really. So now when I get out there I think of that almost 300 pound guy. He chases me every day, I know he is out there waiting for me if I fail in my diligence. I can run so I do, to avoid my unhealthy self.

I still won't be as regular posting as I would like to be but I will be out there taking in the fall. The best time of the year for everything, especially running. There are lots of great local races coming up and I will do my best to be at as many as I can. Keep running, it makes you a great person.

I'll take the .50 cal

When I was in the army, I was a scout. That is exactly what you think it is: sneak up ahead of everyone else spot the enemy and report back. Sometimes shoot at them and sometimes call for artillery or air support. The first unit I was in was at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This is not a pleasant place. No offence to folks who live in Louisiana, I did like the state. But the post was awful, infested with bugs, humid all the time, mud up to your knees and more than its fair share of snakes.

But it was here that I learned to be a soldier and that means pulling your weight and not giving up. The vehicles we used for our craft, it feels cool to call soldiering a craft so I'll do it here, were M113's. Most folks have never heard of them as they were obsolete 10 years before I ever joined the army. They are big aluminum boxes on tracks, kind of like an armored bull dozer with a big machine gun. Well after we would get back from the field, i.e. playing in the woods with automatic weapons, we would need to carry the equipment back from the motor pool to the armory. Sometimes there was a Jeep and sometimes not. If not you would need to lug the .50 cal a half mile to the armory (read 84 pounds - 60 pound gun and 24 pound barrel). I would volunteer for the gun. Mostly I did this for selfish reasons, first it was like earning good will to get out of more unpleasant stuff, second I could do it). So I take the .50 cal because I can and because I don't quit. I carried that hunk of metal over my back for half a mile. Quitting is for others, not this kid.

So tonight, I ran 4 miles beginning at 11 pm.

Mile 1: 11:58
Mile 2: 11: 37
Mile 3: 11:50
Mile 4: 11: 45

I could have gone to bed, I was tired after putting in a long day today. Nobody would have said I word if I did. But I didn't. Just like when I was 18, I can carry the .50 cal so I do. I don't give in, I don't break. I may back off for a little bit, like the last 2 weeks. But I don't quit, that is for others. I'll never be the fastest guy out there but I won't quit. I have some bend but no break.

Whipping My Horse

It has been a couple of weeks since the Philly Distance Run, my first half marathon. I think I finally feel right in my head. I was so pumped up for the run that I did not expect the emotional let down that followed the race. I had put everything I had in preparing for this race since late March. So when it was over, I was left with a feeling of what now. It was similar to my feelings after my black belt test so many years ago. What now? It was hard to get back on track. After investing so much of myself into the race, I should have realized that I would have an emotional lag after the fact. Well the good news is that I think I am over my lull.

I have let my horse graze in pasture after a hard race. But now it is time to get it out on the track again and get it up to speed. By horse I mean me. I finally have the bug back in my blood to get out and run, to test and push myself beyond where I went last time. I suppose I needed a little down time. But now I have to go whip my horse and put him through his paces.

I feel like I have been lazy this week

Before today, my last run was on Tuesday. That was a while ago. Usually I run 4 days a week. So being at 2 days is a bit unusual for me. Today I did 3.5 miles.

Mile 1: 12:09
Mile 2: 11:31
Mile 3: 11:25
Last half: 11:15 pace.

Its not bad really. I have been feeling like I have had the beginnings of a cold this week so I slept a little more than usual (read increase of 5 to 6 hours a night to about 7.5 hours). When the weather snaps, I usually pick up a small amount of congestion. I have to be careful that it doesn't explode on me into something more serious. But I have been exercising at night but I just haven't been running much. I will try to do more next week. Since the distance run I have had a bit of an emotional let down, I think that is normal and I also think I am over it. Next week, I will try to go with 3 to 4 days a week. Perhaps 2 to 3 days at 3 to 5 miles and one day at 6 to 9 miles. I don't think I will be doing much racing for the rest of year and I have to get motivated to run for its own sake. Amy over at Runners Lounge talked about this before. I am having a hard time making the transition. I think I will register for the 10k in November just to have something on the schedule to motivate me. When I don't see goals and benchmarks to shoot for it can be hard for me to get my motivation up. I am realizing this about myself.

Today, I also lifted some weights and that was a nice addition. Strength training can be a bit boring but the results can't be argued with. I will have to add more to my schedule as well. Especially not that it is cooling off and the rush of activity associated with Summer is coming to an end. Time to redouble my efforts as the coming winter makes me nervous in terms of my weight. This is the time of year I usually increase in weight. I have to go into January on a good program or I could gain 20 pounds from January to April.