Staying Motivated

 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”- Aristotle

I have recently stepped up my training. It is going to be hard to stay motivated, the St. Louis Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is on 10/27/2013. I am going to be training hard for over 4 months in an attempt to run the marathon in 3:30 and qualify for Boston.

I found an article in the Internet written by an Olympic Marathoner.In this article he discussed the strategies that he used to stay motivated during weeks of constant training.

When running 5 or 6 times a week for months on end, often for hours at a time, running can consume your entire thought process. Elite runners create a system so they don’t even have to think about running.

1. Identify the specific areas and times that most often lead to you not wanting to run. It is important to be as detailed as possible.
2. Next think about creative ways you can eliminate the above issues, distractions, or weak moments.
3. Once you have developed your solution for the issues that challenge your motivation most, keep looking for new and creative ways to take the thinking out of running.

Do not be afraid to have a little fun. Some examples of things I do to accomplish this is to download a new song to run to. Change my training up a little bit such as interval training , hill training, or run at a different time or place. Buy some new running clothes or sign up for a race.

It is important to remember your goals. Remember in goal setting it is often important to set a series of short term goals along the way to accomplish your major long term goal.

 

What strategies do you incorporate to stay motivated during weeks of marathon training?

Update!

Upcoming races for me include  two 5k's, a 15k, the Evansville Half Marathon, and the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Full Marathon. My initial goal is to run one of my 5k's in 21 minutes.  I have read  if you can run a 5k in that time in 21 minutes your odds of running a marathon in 3:30 are drastically increased. My big goal is to run the full marathon in 3:30 and qualify for the Boston Marathon.

The GOAL!

To prepare myself for this I have stepped up my running.  On  5/18, 5/25 and today 6/2 I ran 10 miles.
On 5/20 I did 3 Yasso 800's and on 5/27 I did 5 Yasso 800's. I have work to do to get my minutes per mile where they need to be, but I am optimistic starting this early I can do it.

The reason I had to take a break from blogging was I got overwhelmed taking care of my girlfriend after total knee replacement surgery, trying to keep up with my full-time job, and running when I got the chance.
Pam is 6 weeks out of total knee replacement surgery and is doing well. She wanted to be at 3 weeks were the doctor said she should be at in 3 months. She did not quite make that goal, but her physical therapist and doctor both say she is doing really well. She has been driving herself to physical therapy, doctor's appointments and to the "Y".
I have gotten a couple of comments wanting to know where I have been. I wanted to let everyone know I had not dropped off the face of the earth and plan on updating more from now on.

Bose SIE2i

 

“I really wanted to do research. That has never changed.” - Amar Bose

After my second pair of Plantronics Backbeat 903+ bluetooth headphones died I gave up on them and decided to try something else. After doing a little research on the Internet, the Bose SIE2 and SIE2i kept showing up on the lists. The difference between the two being that the SIE2i is optimized for the iPod, iPhone and iPad. 

I was impressed that users consistently gave the Bose product 4 and 4.5 stars out 5 on the net. I was discouraged by the price of most of the headphones. I was really not wanting to pay over $100 for a pair of headphones to use for running. I was not to pleased with the Apple ear buds because they keep falling out of my ears. The strong point given to the Bose headsets by most reviewers is that they are secure and do not fall out of your ears. I own several Bose products and I am already sold on the sound quality of Bose.

The SIE2 are priced at $119.95 and the SIE2i are priced at $149.95, with free shipping. Below is a picture of my new Bose headphones:

In the box you get the Headphones, the Bose-Reebok armband, three StayHear Tips: one small, one medium and one large, and an  extension cable. The headphones include the controls for Apple products and a clothing clip. I have done two 30 minute runs using the new headphones and they have not fallen out of my ears one time. I have turned my head sideways and shook it trying to get the headphones to fall out and they will not. The second run was in strong winds and the headphones did not blow out of my ears. I have came to expect clear, full crisp sound from Bose products.The in-line controls for the iPhone are very easy to use. The top button increases the volume, the bottom button lowers the volume, and the middle button is pause/start. The armband stays snug around my arm and has not came loose when I ran. So far I have been very pleased with my new headphones.

What headphones do you use when running?

Common Fears on Running Your First Race

 

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

1) I am going to finish last. Even if you finish dead last you are finishing way ahead of everyone sitting at home on the couch. If your first race is a short race, such as a 5k, there will be plenty of walkers that will finish after you.

2) I am too self conscious to run in front of people. The Reality is that runners welcome new runners and will be glad too share advice. The best advice I can give is to buy the right running clothes and shoes. Find a good training program on the Internet to follow and then relax and have fun.

3) I will not be able to run the whole time. I was amazed during my first race the number of runners that stopped and walked. In every race I have ever ran, I have seen runners who have stopped and walked. There are even programs such as the Galloway method that train this way.

4) I do not know what to expect. Runner’s World, blogs, and forums are great places to learn what to expect. If you have the opportunity, go watch a race or volunteer to help at a race to learn what to expect. My personal experience is I just showed up at my first race and ran and was hooked.

5) I am too old to be running races. I thought I was old when I ran my first race in 2007 at the age of 48. I have since met people running marathons that are in their 80’s. It is very encouraging and inspiring to meet an octogenarian who is out having the time of his life running a marathon.

What fears did you have going into your first race?

Ramblings

 

"Running is a mental sport...and we're all insane!"
Learn to run when feeling the pain: then push harder. - Les Brown
I started out this morning to do a long run. About 2 miles into the run it started raining and I knew that I would soon have to head inside. I decided to make it 2.62 miles and call this my personal run for Boston. Not the best picture it was taken outside in the rain with my iPhone.

My girlfriend had total knee replacement surgery about a week and a half ago. She got home from the hospital a week ago today. I have been working, running , attempting to keep up on my blogging and being a caregiver. The “caregiver thing” consists of going into work early to leave early to shuttle her to physical therapy. I am also her coach for her exercises at home. She is quick to point out to me that I should be very happy that I have good knees and good health. I see the people in the therapy room struggling to walk and I am. Her medicine makes her a little self described “loopy” since she is forever loosing things or misplacing things that I have to find for her. Pam is a strong willed, independent woman. It absolutely drives her insane being dependent upon someone  else for  the least little thing.  For the time being I am in charge of meal preparation, dispensing medications, and fetching ice water and ice packs round the clock.  With the right knee replacement and left ankle screw removal, she will not be able to drive for up to 6 weeks. So  I am having learn my way around Walmart, grocery stores, Sam’s, and the pharmacy without having my "Garmin”, (Pam). Although everything was cleaned, organized, and well stocked before she went to the hospital,  I still have household chores and laundry to do... She has been home for a week now and is in not nearly as much pain. Still sleeping a lot but she is getting around better. She wanted me to add that I had even stayed  up with her until midnight watching a chic flick with her on TV.
The local PBS station is having its annual auction.I was the high bidder on an entry into the Evansville Komen 5k on September 28,2013. This is one of my favorite races, as it was the first race I ever ran in 2007.

Here is some humor I found on the Internet today:

Have you done any runs for Boston?

Healthy Writer’s Club: Recovery Period

 

"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming." -  Frank Shorter, 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist

Recovery period after running a marathon is very important. A lot of runners completely overlook it and go into recovery with no plan. Your plan should have two goals:  Prepare for recovery without injury. Set new targets for yourself.

I walk everyday for 30 minutes for one week after running a marathon. The next week I run 4 times for 30 minutes a day. I gradually work my speed and distance up from that. I have learned from experience that this recovery plan works best for me. I have jumped back into running too quickly after a marathon and then got injured.

I start planning my next race or series of races. I need a goal to shoot for or I loose focus. I promptly signed up for the St. Louis Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. That means after a short break from running to let my body recover and heal it is back into training.

What advice do you have for the recovery period?

10 Tips For Older Runners

 

“Endurance? You’ve only got to get out there and do it. Face up to it: man was meant to run.” – Percy Cerutty

Being I will turn 55 this year I have bee spending a lot of time researching advice for older or master runners. Most of the advice I have found on the Internet is encouraging. Several sites state that I can expect to keep running marathons well into my 60’s or later. Her are this weeks 10 tips for older runners:

1) Cut yourself some slack. Keep a positive attitude and do not expect to PR every race. It is best to run smart with lots of positive energy. Focus in the fun and spiritual aspects of running.

2) Speed is a big need. You need speed training to stop the decline in muscle fiber size and numbers.

3) Reinforce the foundation. Your hips, abs and back are where everything originates. Keep your core strong with core strength training exercises.

4) Extreme extremities. You need both lower and upper body strength training to maintain strength, power, speed, elasticity and injury resistance.

5) Pay attention. Listen to your body, if it does not feel right it probably isn’t. Any chronic fatigue or pain means you should back off on mileage, intensity or both until you are feeling strong again.

6) Mind your P’s and Q’s. As you age purpose, quantity and quality become more important. Focus on quality running and only put in as much quantity as necessary to meet your running goal.

7) Stride for perfection.Improving your stride efficiency helps to ward off the effects of a reduced VO2 max. Strength training, plyometrics, speed training, barefoot running and a focus on proper mechanics can make you a more efficient runner.

8) Better Balance. Balance and proprioception tends to suffer as you grow older. Balance training will not only improve balance but it also help proprioceptive abilities and neuromuscular conditioning,

9) Holy Holistic. Focus on the joy of running, the mental aspects of running and the spiritual side of running.

10) Holiday Road. When you were younger you could run every day. Now that you are older your body needs frequent breaks, sometimes a couple of days or it may be as long as two weeks.

Any other advice for aging runners?