The Running Mike

Paleo / Primal Coach, Runner, and Triathlete

Archive for the tag “motivation”

05 Mar 2012
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When in Doubt: Keep Moving Forward

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

–Walt Disney

Some of you may not be aware of this… (note sarcastic tone) but life has a way of getting in the way of running every now and then.  Sometimes this happens several times in a short proximity and can wreak havoc on a season. 

Already in 2012, I started the year with a calf injury (2 weeks of taking it easy), my mother had a surgery (I spent 2 weeks helping out-post surgery, with limited training time), and am dealing with the flu now – spending most of the last week sleeping 16 hours a day. 

Perhaps I’m more emotional because I’m sick, or perhaps I’m hallucinating (also a possibility) but that Disney movie (Meet the Robinson’s) was right.  When we are knocked down, tired, feeling beaten up and everything is telling us to stop – we just need to KEEP MOVING FORWARD. 

March and April are some of the best times to race, and although I’m likely going to be unprepared for some of the events, there are still lots of events this season. I know once I get over this flu, I’ll head back out on the trails and get my cardio back up.  Besides, I’ll get to have fun and do some fun, shorter events instead Smile 

There is nothing wrong with adjusting your schedule and getting back in line with your training progress… especially if you just keep moving forward. 

Posted by The Running Mike in Jesse and Mike, Status Updates and tagged
14 Feb 2012
2 Comments

Guest Post: Run Christopher Run!

ThatRunninGuyToday’s guest blog post is by Chris Morales who goes by the online name, ThatRunninGuy.  He’s been running for over 25 years and has completed numerous 10K’s, 1/2 Marathon’s and Triathlons.  Chris now runs to raise money for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario.  Chris is online in two places:  his blog, http://thatrunninguy.com/ and also at The Reggae Marathon Blog where he writes as Reggae Marathon RunninGuy http://www.reggaemarathon.com/blog/

"Run, Christopher, Run!" 

That’s what my wife Sally says whenever I head out for a run which has been nearly every day now for the past 25 years.  But it didn’t start out that way.  For most of my life up to my mid-20′s I was sedentary. OK, I was a couch potato.  I wasn’t athletic in either grade school or high school although I did play squash in university.  Great workout but not running.

"You are well on your way to getting high blood pressure" was the diagnosis from my doctor after my annual physical at age 28.  It stunned me but I wasn’t surprised since I had a history of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure in my immediate family.  Heck, my Dad had high blood pressure for years and ‘took pills’ to control it.

With 2 young kids I made the immediate decision to deal with it…and not through drugs.  I decided to run.  And my first run was not pretty!  Running…make that walking…at night so that nobody would see me was how I started.  Newbies, let me assure you that I was not a natural.  It took a long time…a really long time…before running became a habit.  And it took even longer before running became fun.   The transition came when I purchased my first pair of pair of pants 2" less than the previous ones.  Hmmm…"I like this".  I was hooked.  But it wasn’t until I stumbled through my first 10K that I became determined to become a real runner.

"Run, Christopher.  Run!"

10 K races were all the rage at that time and once I caught the racing bug I raced nearly every month.  I achieved my personal best of 42 minutes in my early 30′s within 3 years of starting to run.  I still have the finish line photo in my wallet.  Oh, and the T shirts.  I had quite the collection of race T shirts.  Oh, and the physical benefits:  down to a 32" waist, down ‘a lot of weight’ and down with the blood pressure reading.

For some reason the Marathon intimidated me and for years I stayed away from them.  I ran 1/2 marathons which were just starting to catch on back them and really liked that distance.  I still do.  But I shuddered every time I even briefly contemplated the dreaded marathon distance.  "I could never finish a marathon" became my mantra.  And sure enough that’s what happened when I entered my first marathon, The Unfinished Marathon.  I did everything wrong:  I didn’t train well, I was cocky, I started too fast, I figured I could tough it out.  Bad idea, stupid idea, dumb idea, wrong!  I made it to half distance before I dropped out with exhaustion and a bum knee.  It was a long, cold, silent ride back to the finish line in the pickup vehicle.  I did not like it one bit and the bitter taste of that unfinished marathon stuck with me for many, many years.

"Run Christopher, Run"

I loved my early morning runs.  While others slept I was out running.  It became my ‘alone time…my thinking time" and I grew to value it very much.  I ran everywhere I traveled, I ran on vacation, I ran in good weather and bad, in cold and snow.  I ran through divorce and job loss.  Some of my friends went for therapy, I went for a run.  Years later we laugh over a beer and wonder which was more effective.  I vote for running: physical and mental health in under an hour each day.

And then my Dad died.  I’d been very close to him over the final years of his fight with high blood pressure and heart disease.  I’d hoped that my example of successfully reducing my high blood pressure through running would have had an impact on him.  It didn’t and I was pissed!  Running in the wake of his passing saved my life.

"Run! Christopher, Run!"

My universe collided with my Dad’s passing:  Unfinished marathon business…anger…running…do something!  And I did.  Given my Jamaican heritage, I decided to finish my marathon business (Unfinished Business Finished) in Negril, Jamaica at the Reggae Marathon. reggae-marathon-negril-jamaica-logoI channeled my anger into my training…and I did it right this time.  I started fund raising for the Heart & Stroke Foundation to help with research and education around heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

That was three years ago and I’m blessed to have the support of my sons who have run with me in three races.

Thanks Sally for getting me to ‘run, Christopher, run."

Until next time…

ThatRunninGuy

©Chris Morales, February 1, 2012

Posted by The Running Mike in Guest Posts, newbie and tagged , , ,
20 Jan 2012

Guest Post: Getting Back on The Horse

no motivation

Today’s guest post is by Erin McDougall.  Erin (http://twitter.com/erinmcdougall) lives in Brighton ON with his wife and 4 children. He makes his living as a Project Manager in the Automotive industry, and enjoys running, wilderness camping, and music.

It seems like one thing that all runners have in common is injury. Whether it’s a beginner with shin splints or sore knees, or a more seasoned runner dealing with PF, IT band or Pirifomis issues- it’s something we all deal with at some point. Very often, the way the injury is dealt with is through rest. At first you’re itching to get back out there, but after a few weeks, if you’re not careful, you can lose momentum, and that spark can start to fade a bit.

I’m currently coming off a hip flexor issue. It started to crop up after a fall marathon, and for the last two months I’ve either been training at a greatly reduced volume, or not at all. The timing isn’t too bad- at least I’m not in the middle of a training cycle, but on the other hand, I’m realizing now that if I don’t get back at it soon, training for a spring marathon is going to be affected. mississauga half 1Fortunately, the combination of rest, stretching, and massage therapy has got me pretty well ready to go again, but my head’s not quite there yet. I’ve gotten used to sleeping in (if you can call waking up at 6:15 sleeping in) instead of being out the door to run at 4:45am. I’ve gotten used to not having to plan my Sunday around a 3 hour run. I’ve gotten……. lazy?

Today I’m not going to talk about the physical aspect of getting back into training- I don’t want to be the one to advise anyone to start building their mileage back up before they’re ready. Want I want to talk about is getting your head back in the game. As much as we might enjoy training, it’s not easy, and sometimes when we’ve had to lay off for a while, it can be difficult to get the motivation fired back up again. Here are some thoughts for getting off the couch and back out on to the road (or trails).

  1. Re-assess your goals. What do you want to accomplish this season? For a lot of us, if we don’t have a goal in front of us, it’s tough to get going again. Are you looking for a few PB? Do you want to break a threshold time?
  2. Plan out your race schedule for the season. For runners, it’s exciting to mark your calendar with upcoming events.
  3. Run with a friend you don’t normally run with. While recovering from an injury, you may not be able to train at your normal pace- take advantage of that and run with someone slower while you have the opportunity to not have to push your pace.
  4. Buy a new pair of shoes. This might sound superficial, but if you have a new pair of running shoes in the closet, can you resist taking them out for a spin? And don’t buy boring white ones- everyone knows bright shoes are faster…….mississauga 10K1
  5. Mix it up. If you normally train on roads, try running on trails or the beach. If you normally run in shoes, try running in VFFs or barefoot- if you’re not on a strict schedule- do whatever you feel like!
  6. Most importantly- remember why you run. Most of us started running to get in shape, but continue running because we fell in love with it. Remember that you’re doing it because you love it!

There are a million excuses to not get back out there, and all of us know someone who “used to be a runner.” As much as having a strong and healthy body is important for running, if you don’t have any motivation get out there and put one foot in front of the other, you’ll never lace up your shoes.

Posted by The Running Mike in Guest Posts, Training and tagged , | Leave a Comment

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