Motivation - how do you find it?

No seriously, I'm asking - where do you find your motivation?  I struggle with this every minute of everyday.  If I don't have someone to meet for a workout, I simply won't do it.  Take this morning for example: I got up at 4:15am, made 3 giant stacks of pancakes so the kids would have breakfast when they woke up, drove into NYC (paid the damn toll), only to walk into Central Park to meet my teammates and find out my sitter had not shown up.  I then had to drive all the way back home without ever seeing any of my friends or getting any sort of work out done.  By 9am,  all of the kids were where they were going and I had nothing but free time on my hands while they were at camp.  One would think that this would be the perfect time to get that run in that I had missed a few hours ago but NO I was not going to do anything, at all!  Why?  Because I had no one to meet and could not motivate myself to go alone.  So imagine I'm all dressed in running clothes, perfect weather, no children at home and I can't seem to get myself out the door because I was alone.  I really envy people that can just get up and run out their door.

EMILY: she's so fast she's always blurry in photos!

And she's most happy with a Diet Coke!

But then came Emily - she texted me about the morning's run and I told her the whole story.  She told me to just "go now".  Excuse, excuse, blah, blah, blah, excuse.  She said, "I'm not texting you back until you go".  It worked - I got off my ass and went for a 30 minute run - all by myself....like a big girl.

So what is it that motivates some and not others?  What's the real reason you work out?   Vanity?  Bikini season?  Making your ex sorry he left?  Boredom?  Health?  Fitness?  Speed?  Do you want to beat your track record from HS?  And why do I have so much trouble just walking out the front door by myself?  If I have someone to meet or a class to take - I'm there.  Fully committed.  Something about the Mob Mentality I guess.  And like the rest of the universe, I feel AMAZING after I've worked out even the smallest amount and am always so glad I did it but that doesn't work in getting me to get started.

Please tell me your secrets.......I'll take any help I can get!

First 10K & 5K of 2017 Season

Why is it that people never take t heir own advice?  Every season of coaching Girls on the Run, I tell the girls they cannot compare races to other races.  You can't compare Apples to Oranges.  Every race is different even if they are all 3.1 miles or 140.6 miles - there are hills, flat roads, heat, cold, wind, feeling bad that day, lack of sleep, life stress - every race is different.  Yet for some reason I have trouble taking my own advice...I realize that's very shocking to everyone reading!

The first two races of The Summer Of Speed are under my belt and I'm ready to get faster as the summer goes on.  BUT, big but here, I recently found out I have a bunion which doesn't sound all that terrible but it's actually quite painful.  So much so that I thought I had a hairline fracture or something in my foot.  When my favorite Physical Therapist, Lawrence of Edge Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine (shameless plug for my amazing Non-Lesbian Life Partner's PT office!) told me I had a bunion I told him he was wrong - aren't those for old ladies?  Like really old ladies?  Turns out, not so much.  Since then I've been trying some things are home to get my foot to feel better - it's kind of working but we'll see.  

Two weekends ago I did NYRR Mini 10K - my foot hurt from the first step so I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.  It was also the very first hot day, it's been a pretty cold Spring so far.  I vowed once a long time ago to never complain about the heat - I love the summer, I HATE HATE HATE the winter so I never complain about any temp being too high but it does affect running when you are not used to it.  But the real issue was my foot hurt so it wasn't great but Wendy and I stayed together and got it done.  I figured it was best to start the season off with  my slowest run so I can get faster as the summer goes on....not a real plan but it is now!

June 10, 2017 NYRR Mini 10K Central Park 1:12 Finish time.  These are my split times (avg pace 11:24/mile):

I will admit I was expecting worse so not a terrible start to The Summer of Speed!

That's funny - it doesn't look like you are in any pain? 

I can find GOTR girls anywhere I go!

Yesterday was my first 5K of The Summer of Speed and I got to do this one with my sisters!  It was great fun but again wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.  I decided to run on feel rather than using my watch and it went well until mile 3 - I was able to run pretty fast (for me) and then it blew up but that's fine bc at least I know how far to push things.  Even the last mile, although slower, wasn't terrible.

June 18, 2017 Ray Downey Memorial 5K Deer Park, NY 31:13 Finish Time.  These are my split times 

(Average Pace 9:56/mile):

The Sisterhood is simply the greatest thing ever!

 

Family Support....they're cute sometimes!

Next race:

30th Annual Women's Distance Festival 5K - July 8, 2017

Speed.

Every summer I sign up for my favorite triathlons or ones that I can do with my friends.  This summer I haven't signed up for any mostly because I didn't really train all winter and I was kind of excited to have nothing on the calendar.  Except, for someone like me - a race with a paid registration fee, is usually the only thing that keeps me motivated.  So last week I decided on a new, specific goal for this summer.  SPEED.  And by speed, I mean MY kind of speed which means faster than I've been before.  This speed goal is only about ME and my PRs -not about being faster than anyone other than myself.  I will constantly need to remind myself of that bc I often get caught up in "I'll never be faster than_________ (insert name of anyone I run with)".

This goal has to be about me and only me as......

In order to stay focused on this goals, I need to publicly announce my times that I'm trying to beat - this isn't easy for me so be kind:

5K: 27:38     Pace: 8:53      October 2013

10K: 1:03:09      Pace 10:09          September 20, 2014

I'm looking for a 5K every month and a 10K every other month - my goal is to work on speed all summer and get faster with each race.  The ultimate goal: beat the above PR by the end of 2017.  So far I have a few races that are officially on the calendar:

Saturday, June 10th - NYRR Mini 10K

Sunday, June 18th - Father's Day 5K

Saturday, July 8th - Women's Distance Festival 5K

Working on the rest of the schedule for remaining of the Summer/Fall.  Anyone want to join me?  Links are attached to above races!

Time or Money

Any adult will tell you: you either have Time or Money.  Most people don't or will never have both.  Everyone needs to make peace with the one they are given and make the most of it.  For the most part, I have not made the most of my situation.  I have more time than money but I haven't been using it wisely...until now.  I know many moms that work full time outside of the home and I'll hear them say, "Oh it must be nice to be able to work out all day while the kids are at school" and I think, "Yes that would be nice - why the hell aren't I doing that?".  So I do work a few part time jobs and I have 3 kids (one of them requires a shit ton of my time even during school hours) but I still have more time than my other training parters and they get it done WHILE working a full time job and raising children.  So I have no excuse.  I can make and/or find an excuse - I'm a pro at that but it's time to stop making excuses.

This past week I had a revelation - thanks to my friend Deirdre T.  We had a very quick, very not important exchange about how we both have a few free hours in the afternoon before we pick up the kids but we don't use it for any training.  With just an hour a day, I could be significantly faster and in way better shape getting me towards my triathlon goals rather than moving farther and farther away from those goals.

The One.  The Only.  Deirdre T.


With that small exchange, DT and I are going to meet as often as possible to run and/or bike during that window of time we have between the end of our work day and the beginning of the Mothering Day (i.e. after school!).  So be on the look out for the two D's on the road to be kicking major ass very soon - ok maybe not kicking ass but pursuing a goal and not sinking deeper into my couch cushions (I cannot speak for her and her couch sitting)!  If you are around 1PM weekdays - let us know, you can join us!  

If you are out at 5am, you can find me with my amazing and very pregnant run buddy Tara - she's one of those working moms that inspires me to do more with my time.  I think, "if Tara had this much free time during the day, she'd be an elite athlete".  Time to make all of my full time working training partners proud of me and hopefully make them so jealous they all quit their jobs and train with me all day!  

5am, 32 weeks pregnant, 2 small children, husband, full time job, commutes to NYC...SuperWoman