So yet another week has gone by with zero progress made and virtually no running at all – another proud achievement over here at RedWine towers that I’m delighted to share with you all. So what are the excuses this week? After a successful five mile jaunt down the beach on Tuesday night which included 4x400m sprints, I was ready for my scheduled ‘cross training’ for the week – i.e Body Sculpt class, but since it doesn’t start ’til 6.45pm I came home after work and the couch ate me. Thursday’s planned work out of 3miles of hill repeats went out the window when 80mph winds and rain battered the North of Scotland so I skipped it and went to #themeet140 earlier than planned. Friday – I’d had a huge girls night out planned for months so a workout was never on the cards. Saturday – Long run planned; was too hungover to move and went to a friends to watch the rugby instead. Sunday; I should have done a long run but failed to leave the house all day for the pure pleasure of relaxing in peace and quiet with my partner for the first time in a week. Bad runner! Runner’s don’t get to relax – if they’re not at work or other commitments then they should be RUNNING. Right…?
So here we are a week further into the year and if I were on track to run 1000 miles this year, in 5 weeks I would have run 96.15 miles by now – instead I’ve hit 35. Smashing. Since the start of the year I’ve been concentrating on eating the healthiest I can, cutting out booze, and doing more exercise than ever before in order to lose weight so I can go faster – 5 weeks later and I’ve put ON 2kg and my measurements are the same. 5 weeks into the year and I’ve already had a flare up of my old knee problems and am suffering from shint splits for the first time in my life. Or is could be a stress fracture – we don’t know yet.
As the wind batters Aberdeen and the snow continues to pelt down today my motivation is at a major low, dragged down further by my failing body and escalating weight. Dear readers – please offer some words of encouragement and remind me why I am bothering to put myself through this voluntarily, when clearly all I’m best at for now is sitting on my couch with a beer.
I wish there more hours in the day; or more days in the week – I feel like to actually accomplish what I want to do I have to make huge sacrifices in my social, personal or professional life. I can’t change my professional life – this is only a hobby after all and I’m required to work all day and late into the evenings at concerts. If I have to miss an evening work out because of an event, then I should reschedule it to an early morning session before work. But then getting up hours before the crack of dawn to go and run on a treadmill requires an early night the night before which isn’t always possible due to work commitments or other occasions, and then as a result I’m dead and in bed by 9.30pm later that day. So do I change my personal life? It’s funny that now Badger and I live together we seem to see each other even less than usual what with his late nights working, my late nights working and everything else in between. The opportunity to spend a few hours together on the couch watching a movie on a Sunday afternoon with the cats is precious ‘us time’ and has to take priority over a long run for now or else we may as well be ships passing in the night the way our lives go. So I suppose that means sacrificing my social life – missing my friends birthdays? Skipping book club with my girl friends? Missing out on the growing twitter social scene in Aberdeen?
I guess something has to go if I want this to happen, and I want it SO BADLY. Over the next few months I’ll be working long hours at work; the only way I can see this happening is if I can get myself out running before work – either at the gym or outside once it gets lighter. The concept of this is ridiculous -anyone who knows me will testify that I only see 5.30am if I’ve been up all night from the night before. I guess sooner or later I’ll need to start making these kind of tough choices however.
Anyway – tonight is gliding, then power yoga. Perhaps I’ll be able to blast a quick mile afterwards as well for the sake of it to keep the mileage racking up. Apologies for the gloomy post, but this journey was never going to be an easy one.
Speaking from experience, it does need to be the number one thing in your day and a non-negotiable.
Something that helped me is making sure that I don’t get the option to sit down and not go -I bring my pre-run snacks with me and then start my midweek runs from work. I have a running backpack which holds my running gear on my walk to work, and then my work outfit on the run home. Then when you get home you are done and can enjoy your evening. This may work for you as your commute is not particularly long. If you run past your house you can drop off the backpack as well so you are not carting everything for your whole run. I can lend you my backpack if you would like to test this strategy as I am not running at the moment.
For your long runs, you need to get up and get them done and out of the way first thing, then the rest of your day is your own. You can’t stay out late the night before or it won’t get done. Two drinks at the most and then start on the water. It’s boring but that’s how it works, especially in the beginning. I’m sure there will be some club runners on here who are excellent on running on a diet of beer and no sleep but I never quite got to that stage of hardcore.
I never got the hang of the getting up early thing so you are not alone. Lee is better at it than me!
it will get better!
Thanks Erin. I know it will get easier when the days get longer, and the weather is less shit and all the rest… for now I guess I’m still getting used to fitting everything I need to do around my normal life and working out which changes need to be made. I’ve been good about making sacrifices so far but I’m yet to find a happy medium I guess. I wish Colin was a runner as well, or even a little bit interested in fitness…I could do with someone to literally kick my ass out of the door sometimes rather than someone who drags me back to bed.
I must admit that having another runner in the house has helped – there are times when neither of us could be bothered but we could usually harass/guilt each other into getting out there and doing it. I think I would even go as far as to say that I would not have been able to keep up my training regime in 2009 (which is when I was doing the most) without him. I do not envy you having to be your own motivator! I think you are doing a good job so try not to feel too guilty about not reaching every target you have made for yourself. I found that made me more likely to jack it in if I took the attitude that I had already failed in my goals.
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I think that to truly succeed at anything, there will have to be at some level, a sacrifice… It is a tough decision, but at the end of the day, the sacrifices that you make today, will pay off when you achieve your goal. It will make it feel that much sweeter knowing that to do it, you had to overcome the dislike in the choices that you have had to make. This will make you stronger, but it will never seem like it at the time.
Balance, is always the hardest thing to achieve in life, but is also the most important.
I think if you REALLY want it, then you can do it.
I agree, there have to be and there will be sacrifices – I’m just still finding the right balance at the minute I guess.
I don’t need a wakeup light to get up in the mornings – I’m fine getting up as long as I’ve not been out on the razz the night before. I was waiting outside the gym doors at 6.30am this morning ready to go!
Oh, and Whilst I remember, have you considered (if you don’t have one already) a wake up light to help you get up in the mornings? I find my one helps. (Less so since my bedroom is light all the time recently, but still)