It’s a bit early for my February recap, but…
This month has been too darn full of excuses – I forgot to plan ahead, I’m tired from yesterday’s trip to NYC, I’d rather do an easy run than that scheduled workout, I need the extra rest day, I’ll do it tomor…ENOUGH! Enough, enough, enough.
Whenever I bail on a workout or a core session, I get this bitter taste in my mouth and it lingers until I get myself back on the road again. Yuck. It never fails. February was my first month trying to follow a training plan to prepare for Boston, and I’ll admit, I’ve done an absolutely crappy job following it so far. Rather than finding ways to fit in each key workout, I’ve found excuses to justify skipping them. It has been an unusual month, but just because I’ve been thrown a few curveballs doesn’t give me a free pass to let my training go all willy nilly. What happened to getting serious about Boston?
Not to mention my February Believe I Am goal is to get into the habit of doing more core. To make it more obvious in my journal, I’ve decided to highlight any core/yoga session in pink.
Do you see much pink this month?
No? Yeah, I don’t see much either. Grrrrrr…
So, because it worked so well last December, I’m self-imposing a “run streak” to get myself back on track. Since I’m in marathon training, I’m modifying it because rest is important: rather than running at least a mile every day, I’m requiring myself to do at minimum 15 minutes of core on every rest day and (at the very least) a plank session 5 times per week. I’m not allowed to take two rest days in a row – that’s when the laziness really starts to kick in – and ALL scheduled workouts need to happen. Period.
I’m not giving up all hope on my ability to follow a training plan, and I have an itching suspicion that the structure itself has me rebelling against it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t work find a happy medium. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, right?
Here’s to a strong finish to February and an even stronger March!
QUOTE OF THE POST: “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort
megrunnergirl 
oh I like the highlighting idea! good one.
Thanks! I’m doing that because I stink at drawing! haha
Great quote! Where you are lacking in core I am not but I am lacking in running! I dread the treadmill and am done with the lack of sunshine and cold. I have been concentrating on weights and core. It’s nice to see that I am not alone in my frustration of not completing the training I have imposed upon myself! Good luck!!
I dread the treadmill, too! I tend to run during lunch outside, but I have done one workout (and am doing one tomorrow a.m.) on the ‘mill. I can’t get out in the cold early, so getting it done in the morning on the treadmill helps me resist the urge to go for an easy lunch run with my coworkers. Keep plugging Lynette! Spring is in sight! Good luck to you, too!
Love the idea of using a streak or a strict rule to help keep you on track! I think that’s why I’ve done ok with keeping my weekend long runs on schedule, but have been struggling through the week. In my mind I have a “no questions asked ” attitude for getting the long run in on the weekends, and have done a pretty good job so far. But through the week I let my schedule interfere and sometimes miss out on getting all my miles in.
Thanks for sharing your strategies! Hearing what strategies other people use is so helpful in figuring out what works for me 🙂 Good luck in your training!
Thank you! And good luck to you, too! =)
Oh, good luck with your streak!
I only have two modes for running in my life — super chill and super intense. I’ll never be the kind of person who can just do a race “for fun,” so if I catch myself half-assing training I have a little talk with myself in which I give myself an opportunity to bow out without shame. My nightmare would be to keep going and going with mediocre training without ever “picking a lane!”