Turns out there are many different things that help to motivate me (Rusty, new shoes, quicker pace times, Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked…).
Last Thursday night, after dropping Shane off at the airport for a whirlwind weekend trip to Calgary, I could not bring myself to get out the door to do my tempo run. It was dark, it was rainy and it was cold. I opted for a night at home with the pooch and gave into the couch and some seriously bad television (Jersday anyone?), with the promise to myself that I would do my tempo run Friday morning before work.
And that I did. I woke up early and headed down to Colwood to do my run on the more well lit sidewalks of the Western Communities. Headlamp on and Rusty in his finest running harness we headed out for what would be a great tempo effort. My legs felt fresher than they had all week and I was very thankful for my decision to stay in on Thursday evening and listen to my body’s plea for a night off.
Being able to run with Rusty was a real help as well. He always just looks soooooo happy when he gets to get out and move those little legs. He’s a good little run buddy.
With that run, I felt some training enthusiasm creeping back in and was looking more forward to Saturday’s workouts (and Sunday’s rest day – that in itself was a motivator. A whole day with nothing to do? Say what?).
I also stopped and got a new pair of runners on Friday night on my way home from work. New shoes definitely help with motivation. At first, I thought the colours were a bit boring, but the more I look at the new kicks, the more I like them. I want to run in them and get them a bit dirty, but I also want them to stay shiny and new.
So, Saturday morning Kirsten and I met for a run around the Lakes (in my old shoes – I couldn’t bear to get the new ones that muddy quite yet) followed by a bike around the Peninsula. The run ticked by and at moments felt effortless. Of course, there were a few moments that didn’t feel quite so effortless, but for the most part I felt like it was really really good. Lately I have been pleasantly surprised by my pace times on runs. I actually feel like I am getting faster, maybe not by a lot, but faster none the less – and more consistent too, which is nice. Another motivation win!
The feeling of getting faster is definitely a good thing, but food can also help drive a workout. Whenever Shane goes away for a weekend I treat myself to a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked. I DO NOT like to share with Shane (he always digs out the brownies and leaves everything else) so I only buy it when he is not around so that I don’t have to share (very mature, I know). Anyway, knowing that there was a pint of the delicious frozen treat in my freezer waiting for me to devour while watching Spirit of the Marathon on Saturday night was a pretty good little incentive.
Oh, and knowing that I downed about 1500 calories in, oh, 5 minutes of pure ice cream bliss, will serve as a little push to make sure all my workouts get done this week too, haha.
So my lovely readers (all 3 of you) I'm curious ~ what motivates you?
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