Motivation

I am decidedly not a morning person. Sure, I am not one to sleep in, even after a late night, but I am not pleasant first thing in the morning. Training for a marathon forces you to become a morning person, or, at the least, it forces you to be up early in the morning.

I recently read a small column by legendary running coach Burt Yasso in the most recent issue of Runners' World. It was about excuses and motivation. It is certainly easier to make excuses to skip a run: tired, my bed is so cozy, my high thread count sheets are so soft, feel a little sluggish, etc. It's harder to find sources of motivation.

This morning's run (4.5+ miles of "Kenyan Outbacks"*) was motivated by: shame,** a comment from someone dear to me about the positive effects of running on my...bottom line, slowly (but steadily) firming thighs, bragging rights, the other morning runners waving as they passed by in the opposite direction, the blueberry-oatmeal pancakes I would have after my run (and ice bath),*** and Billy Idol.****

*In truth it was more of a Kenyan "Outback," as I didn't do any repeats. According to Runners' World, a Kenyan Outback is a run that is quicker in the second half than the first half. This can be done by a difficult series of intervals, but it can also be achieved by running for point A to point B in the first half of your run at a steady pace and running from point B back to point A at a steady, but faster, pace. I ran from point A to point B in 24 minutes and from point B to Point A in 21:50. The purpose of the Kenyan Outback is to allow you to finish strong. I'll write more on these later.

**See my post of July 5, 2009 regarding the motivating power of shame.

***Ice baths are unpleasant, to say the least. I have not yet gone all out to put actual ice cubes in my cold tub, but I do fill the tub as high as possible with only cold water and sit in it for at least 10 minutes. Ice baths are supposed to be a great way to help your muscles recover post-hard workout. Again, as with Kenyan Outbacks, I'll write more on ice baths later.

****Several Billy Idol tracks, including "Rebel Yell" and "Dancing With Myself," are great running tracks. I consider the Billy Idol songs a little mini-shout out to my dad, who loves Billy Idol. Please note, my father is a man in his mid-60's who grew up in the Midwest and is very conservative. If you know my dad, try to picture him rocking out (or, as he would say, "shucking and jiving") to "White Wedding" during a family car trip.