It always amazes me what small gestures can do. Today I got a text from Colleen...my running buddy from OC. She just basically said hi and that she missed me. But seeing her name pop up on my text messages gave me an instant dose of motivation. If it wasn't pouring down rain, I would go run right now! (is that an excuse???)
Lisa and I have also been texting for the past few weeks reminding each other to stick with it. Sadly it's been 10 days since we sent each other a text about our workouts. I'm falling down on the job of motivating my friends...I need to get back to it. Honestly I haven't sent her a text because I haven't been doing what I should have been doing. My workouts and runs have dropped off in the last 10 days. I do really well for a week or so then I get unmotivated again. I need some consistency!
Colleen and some of the members of the Ocean City Running Club are coming to Baltimore for a 5K in late June. If the race was today, I'm not sure that I would finish respectably. Actually I know that I would probably not finish in 30 minutes. But I have a few weeks to get myself together. I've got to get going but I can do it. I still won't be anywhere near my best time, but if I can finish in under 29 minutes, I'll be very pleased with the effort.
I'm not exactly on the "couch to 5K plan", but I need to start doing more than I've been doing. I have the same challenge that every other runner has...trying to find time in my busy schedule to fit in a run. When I saw Colleen's text, I told myself that it's not about finding the time, it's about making the time. If it means that I have to get up earlier in the morning, then I need to do that. If it means having Ryann watch the little ones, I need to do that too. If it means asking my Mom to help out, I know she will gladly do that.
I thanked Colleen for her text but I'm not sure she really knows what she did for me. I need to continue to find motivation in the small things. When I lived in OC, running was part of my routine. Now that I'm living here, I need to make running part of my routine again. It's much easier when I'm meeting a group of people and running with friends. But there's no reason why I can't make time for myself and make time for running. It's true that I'm a much happier and healthier person when I'm running on a regular basis! I could find all the excuses in the world not to run...I'm really good at that. And right now when I'm running, my head is telling me all the reasons why I need to stop. But if I start to make running a part of my regular routine again, it will be easier and more fun even if I'm running by myself.
I CAN DO THIS!!! I just might need a little help from my friends. Colleen and Lisa, please keep texting! And if you're reading this and have my cell phone number, please text me too. I can use all the motivation I can get.
Read along with my blog as I discuss weight, schedule and life challenges as I try to get my triathlon training back on track. I will also discuss what I've learned along the way and what new goals I'm setting for myself.
I have been running (track runs) Tuesday nights with Colleen - and you're right, she is a great motivator! I'm sorry I never got to meet you, maybe when you come back to OC for a visit... Hang in there, those head demons try their best to beat me down. Some days are harder than others, but at the end it always feels to good to say "I did it!" I never run without my Garmin. Not for pace/time so much as to log miles. It helps to see what I did in any given week and say if I did it once, then I can do it again. ;-)
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