Actually, I did have motivation - to do the exact opposite of hitting the gym early by rolling out of bed around 8 and pumping myself full of sugar.
So is it a big surprise that when I did finally hit the treadmill tonight after work, I got cramps again 18 minutes in? I still pushed myself as far as I could, but didn't hit my goal of getting a long run in tonight. If I keep up the momentum in this particular direction, I'm going to have a hard time even finishing the Dark Side Challenge, let alone getting a sub 2:00:00 in the half.
Here's the thing - I don't believe I would have had the same problem had I gone before breakfast and my workday started.
I get a daily newsletter from HellaWella*, and this article about how not to skip workouts piqued my interest. Basically, the suggestion is that it's ok to miss a workout - however, you should never miss two workouts in a row. This ensures you won't let a bad practice become habit.
Could I apply this concept to my current challenge getting to the gym in the morning? What if I just start getting up every day at 6, even if it's a rest day? I will do this tomorrow - it's my designated strength training day. Last Wednesday was the first day I implemented a weight lifting day into my training schedule; surprisingly, it was the first day I managed to make it to the gym at 6am since I came back from my business trip a few weeks ago.
* This HellaWella newsletter is da bomb. Do the kids still say that? Anyway, one of my favorite things are the quizzes that are sometimes included - you know, things like "Which pumpkin flavored beverage are you?" or "Which fall activity should you participate in when you're retired?" For whatever reason, my results are always spot on. Just check out my results from "Which Fall Getaway are you?"
172 days left.
Today's Exercise: 3.77 miles (10:36 min/mile) treadmill run @ Globo Gym
PWO
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Breakfast
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Lunch
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Dinner
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| N/A | Salted caramel mocha, pumpkin scone | Coffee, chili, sauerkraut | Chef Salad |
I was interested in your comment over at Mark's Daily Apple so I came over to have a look at your blog. I'm also trying to improve my running, though I will probably stick to 10ks after losing both my big toenails after doing a trail marathon a couple of years ago. I'm especially interested in what you are eating. I do well all day but nearly every evening I get irresistible carb cravings and often end up eating a bowl of porridge. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Trust me, I want to get out of the half marathon habit, but would hate to quit before I really reached my goals. My eating is pretty horrible. Partly due to currently being in a temporary living space with not much to work with in the kitchen, and partly due to a lifetime of bad eating habits. The problem is that I know what I'm eating is impacting my training, I just am having trouble counting on myself to make good decisions in the moment. Today's a new day and new opportunity to make good choices!
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