I thought for sure that the success of my holiday challenge (the commitment to run a minimum of one mile every day from Thanksgiving to New Years) would solidify my commitment to training for an ambitious event schedule in 2014. Think that I merrily signed up for 1/2 marathons, triathlon and a Ragnar Race this month expecting my body to follow my heart.
Then a funny thing happened….January. Bitterly cold weather. Snow. A cold. And a general malaise. And all my ambition seemed to take a hike.
What?
How could this be? I had thought that my successful racing year of 2013 had created new, hard-core habits and I was free and clear of those little obstacles that grow in strength and start to undermine all my hard work. I even found myself slacking off of my reading about training; and forget about logging my workouts at MapMyRun, Active and, yes, Weight Watchers. I was sinking and sinking fast.
Soul searching became my new focus. What was going on here? Was it really the weather? That certainly made for a good excuse. Our area had been hit with regular snow storms (a bit unusual) and, of course, the now famous Polar Vortex made even walking to the car an exercise in catching one’s breath. But I had a gym membership and I had time to go. But I just couldn’t find the motivation to drive over and start. So what was it?
I think my mind and body were just a little tired. I had pushed myself athletically for 10 straight months. I had successfully completed 14 races in those months (a feat I had not planned at the beginning of last season.) I pushed myself even when I didn’t have any desire to get out and run, or swim or bike. I dug deep; I employed discipline I had never tapped into before; I made big changes in my lifestyle and my willpower was pushed to the max.
Like hitting a wall in a run; I hit a wall with my willpower. I had to find a way to restore and re-energize and since I wasn’t able to do it consciously my subconscious took over. The result was a lax January with lots of downtime in the comfort of my favorite chair with a cozy blanket. During one of those particular moments I started to allow myself to accept what had happened.
I had stopped training and I had taken a break and that was OK.
With that acceptance (and forgiveness of being human) I started to feel my body relax and my brain working with a new desire to get back into a training routine. I examined with new eyes what had worked for me in the past and what had not. One huge factor in my success of 2013 were clear cut, measurable goals with specific deadlines and rewards. (and a little procrastination induced stress) Okay! I can get on board with that again!
It is February 1 and I have a 1/2 marathon scheduled for Feb 23. There is a clear cut goal. If I miss or dodge out of this 1/2 I will eliminate myself from the ultimate prize; the coveted Cape Cod Marathon Trilogy: A Badge of Courage Jacket. AND the thrill of, once again, crossing a finish-line with pride that I completed another race!
This goal seems clear enough with plenty of accountability and a defined reward. I am on it with a renewed energy. I have my stickers (yes, I learned through my Holiday Challenge that a simple sticker a day on my refrigerator calendar was a great reward) and I have my training plan outlined. The execution will be up to me but I know I am now up to the challenge. My comfy chair and blanket may miss me but I am sure I will be back at some point for that very important downtime but for now, my comfort will be in knowing I am training for another race schedule and the rewards will be great!