For me, and for most of the other runners I know, the past couple weeks have represented a host of obstacles to completing scheduled workouts and maintaining any semblance of a healthy life. The days are short and cold, not to mention busy. Cookies, candy and workout-ruining drinks abound. And that’s all before we board planes headed for places with unfamiliar running routes, gyms we don’t belong to and fridges stocked by other people.
Life decided to throw in yet another obstacle for me last week in the form of my bum ankle. I can run on it just fine, and have my doctor’s permission to do so. The problem is skiing. A brief recap: Last season, my doctor ordered me to replace my 1996 Lange boots. My new boots will have liners custom-molded for my feet, but those haven’t been made yet. After a disappointing and painful first ski day a week ago, I vowed to stay off the slopes until my new boots are ready. That meant staying home last weekend while Steve headed to Whitetail for what was probably the best snow the Mid-Atlantic region has ever seen.
I figured it would be doubly foolish to skip skiing only to twist my ankle running on the two feet of snow that blanketed Silver Spring, so I headed down to my apartment’s workout room and did core work and a 45-minute stationary bike ride instead. Back on the couch upstairs, I sipped on some Sugar Cookie tea as a post-workout reward. Then, I had the sudden, awful thought that the tea would have felt much more rewarding after a *real* workout.
Yeah, I know. I think that’s pretty absurd, too. So I’m vowing to take a different approach until the holidays are through. Rather than harp on myself for things I didn’t do, I’m going to congratulate myself for the things I did, a tactic I’m finding quite motivational. Here’s what I DID last weekend:
Complete a painful speed workout on the treadmill on Saturday. I did my standard 3 X 1-mile repeats at 7:30-minute-mile-ish pace. Usually, I make each mile progressively faster, so I’m running at 7-minute-mile pace by the end. On Saturday, for whatever reason, I crapped out on the last one, and I had to slow down the pace by 10 or 15 seconds. But whatever! I did it!
Do my ankle exercises every day, despite the fact that they’re the most boring thing ever.
Hop on the stationary bike for cross-training, despite it being the second most boring thing ever.
Honor my body by skipping activities that would have been fun in the short term, but that would have caused pain and injury in the long term.
Where are you finding motivation this week?
What motivates me is that I’m always glad when I workout even just a little bit, while I always regret being a sloth on the couch in lieu of going to the gym. Also, love the glow of my skin after a spin class!
You’re one smart cookie, and deserve that Sugar Cookie Tea!! Okay, seriously, this is what I’m finding motivational right now. I’m reading a new book called “Between Me and the River; Living Beyond Cancer, a Memoir”. The lady had cancer and it was horrible (this is a memoir, not a biography, so she lived to tell the tale). The inspirational part is the incredible soul searching she did during this process, and how she gravitated toward love, forgiveness, and more love. The love she had for her family pulled her through one the most brutal diseases I’ve ever heard about. I need to practice this in my life, absolute love.
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Look at you go! I Love this post, and your tactic – when it’s all said and done, be happy about the things you *did*. This life thing is getting crazy! Between Thanksgiving, a wedding, Christmas and NYE? My gosh, I’m VERY ready for my normal schedule to come back into play….
Hope the custom ski boots arrive soon! those sound fabulous! ( I’m a skier too!)
i guess i am the reverse – i get to come home to familiar routes vs. traveling to strange ones! i am enjoying getting to run at whatever time of day i feel like for a change and also being able to run my old routes. it’s certainly a nice break to run at 9 or 10am instead of 5am or 6pm!