If it Doesn’t Hurt, You’re Doing it Wrong.

September 25 is just around the corner.

There are ebbs and flows when you are training and right now I am in an ebb.

The thing is, I know exactly why.

I did it again today.

I remember when I was losing weight, when I was way at the beginning and every step was painful. I remember every image that flashed up on tv of whatever cheesy-bacony-goodness felt like the world was trying to sabotage me, along with every family party, every restaurant gathering, every shopping trip.

I needed to make changes and the world wasn’t always on my side. It took a lot to drag myself to the gym when I didn’t want to.

It hurt. All of it.

Every moment was a conscious decision that would bring me further toward or further away from my goals.

Now, at the other end of the journey, I have the same feelings but from a different place. Yes I still have a few pounds here to lose, but mostly I am in a happy place. I have done things I never thought possible and that seems now more important than a couple of extra pounds.

However.

The training has not been going that great.

(Cue the “boo hoos.”)

The bikes are good. The swims are good.

The runs are not.

I am in an ebb with the runs.

(*snicker*)

Friday night I had a 7 mile run with the husband. It was 90+ degrees and HOT.

Everything on me seemed to hurt. My water belt felt like it was closing in on me, I felt swollen up, at mile 4 which was just over halfway and which was where the car was conveniently located, I asked my husband what he thought, should we stay or should we go? Full well knowing that if I turned it in, I’d have to make it up over the weekend and that would not be possible.

I was in fight or flight and I was starting to flight.

Until of course he reminded me of a little video that I had just published hours before filled with people who DID NOT FLIGHT, many of whom wanted to. And I felt a little ridiculous for even thinking it. Of course I would not quit.

Not on this day.

And so I let the song from the video fill my head (I had heard it enough times while editing) and I finished out the run, stronger in fact than the first half.

Talk about a jar of motivation.

But honestly it has been a while since I’ve had a good run. It’s frustrating for me to stand at the other end of the run and wish I hadn’t walked at all and wish the run didn’t suck. I feel defeated right now.

I vlogged after that run and I got choked up wondering what went wrong but the worst part is I know exactly what went wrong and I erased the vlog on account of my sounding like a whiney baby. So here are the three things you should do to make sure you set yourself up for happy training. Ready? OK. Here we go. Get your pen. These are groundbreaking.

1. Hydration. Do yourself a favor and do it the day before and the day of pretty please.
2. Nutrition. You can’t run from bad nutrition. Even if you run a 5 minute mile. It will catch you.
3. If your body is in flight or fight, CHOOSE FIGHT. There’s a chance it could still suck if you keep going, but most of the time it gets better. However, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW IF YOU QUIT. You can walk, you can go slow, just DON’T.STOP. It is going to hurt. If it doesn’t, you’re doing it wrong.

Just so you know.

This is my advice to myself as I continue forth on this wonderful, sometimes painful journey. I am picking up with another run tomorrow morning. It will be hot, for sure.

I need motivation to surround me right now and I need to make conscious decisions to keep moving my feet forward. We’re only a month out from Augusta. The week after Augusta, my marathon training plan officially starts.

And I am drinking water right now.

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