I don't know about where you all are, but it was a beautiful weekend here! Thank goodness, because I had to get in my final distance training run. I ran a solid 20 miles on the trails on Saturday! Unfortunately, the only reason I had to stop was the old knee decided to act up again... Anyways, I took a couple days off from posting because all I really wanted to do was sleep.
While I was running, I thought I would share with you one of the biggest things that helped me stay on my workout plan. I had someone hold me accountable for sticking to my schedule. Someone that I wanted to impress, that would not make fun of me when I failed, but would help me get back on my feet and never let me quit. I had my husband play this role for me. He was the one who originally started training me and went on my runs when he could. Unfortunately, his job only allowed him to go on my first two runs, then his schedule got all crazy. (You know what the Navy's motto is? Semper Gumbi...always flexible.) That blew the plan of him running with me right out of the water. Under these circumstances, we unintentionally developed a system that worked better than I ever hoped. Every day, I reported to Sam how far I ran, along with how I felt and how long it took me. Every day he would be impressed that I was not only still at it but improving so rapidly. If I had a bad day and didn't go running, he would remind me that I could make it up the next day. It got to the point where I felt guilty if I didn't run because I would feel like I failed him. (The funny thing is, he never made me feel that way. That was all me. But hey, it worked...) I found myself trying to go just a tad bit farther every day so I could tell Sam about my mad skills that evening.
Now, don't think I am writing this to make Sam feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'll buy him a Hallmark card if he needs that. I want you to see how effective it can be to have someone to report to. A spouse or significant other works fantastically in this role, but only if that person is truly excited for you and really wants you to succeed. It has to be a person who, if you have a bad day/week/whatever, won't say "Well you tried, thats all that matters." It has to be someone who says, "Don't worry, we can brush this off. What's your goal for tomorrow?" It should be someone who will be with you for the long haul and always pushes you towards the future. Take a moment and think of someone in your life that would hold you accountable. A parent, a sibling, a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, anyone! Find someone that you want to impress. Tell them what your goals are and what you need from them. It doesn't have to be a big, long analysis of your physical abilities each day. A text or facebook message will suffice. Just have someone who will be sure to ask you whats up if they don't hear from you a day. Who knows, you may even end up inspiring them!
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