Motivation

This is my third post in four days. I know I don't usually post more than twice a week so if you haven't checked in a while, scroll down to see what else I've been up to.

Today I headed out for my weekly long run. 5 weeks until New York - Holy crap! This week was not a great training week. Between traveling, not sleeping so well, and dealing with a severe case of jogbra chafe from last week's long run, I had a hard time motivating. I did manage a few good workouts, though.

I didn't sleep well last night and was seriously not in the mood to run. Fortunately, we had a drop in temperature and humidity last night - probably from one of those tropical depressions in the Atlantic - and the wind picked up. It was a balmy 75 with 60% humidity when I got started. It was lovely weather, unfortunately my legs were feeling a little cruddy, and I was having a hard time staying mentally focused, which meant my pace kept falling off. I was really missing running surrounded by all the people on the hike and bike trail in Austin. Even if you aren't running with anyone, there is something uplifting about running while surrounded by lots of other runners. Today I passed one other runner - not so uplifting.

As I'm running along not really finding a groove, my theme song, as designated by Joey, came on my ipod. It made me laugh and put an extra bounce in my step. I said a silent thank you to my awesome best friend who has given me some great running music over the years. I started thinking about motivation and what keeps me going on the days when I would be just as happy sitting on my butt watching football. I was reminded of a conversation Joey and I had not too long ago about Steve Sisson's most recent blog entry. I commented that Steve must have been a Buddhist monk in a former life, and Joey countered that it was the countless number of solitary long runs over the years that had given him lots of time to think. Perhaps it's a little of both.

So as I'm running along my thoughts turn to motivation. What motivates me to get out there and train particularly on a day when things aren't going so well? There are the obvious answers - fitness, health, a sense of accomplishment, the desire to find my limits and push beyond, the fact that I've registered for a marathon and made a commitment to do the race so I damn well better train, even guilt to a certain extent, and of course, enjoyment. Yes, I do actually enjoy this stuff - I know that may seem sick and twisted to some of you. Those things get me started, and on a day when my body feels good, they are usually more than enough to get me through, but on a day like today what gives me that extra push? Where does the motivation and, just as importantly, the inspiration come from? For me the answer is easy. It comes from the people in my life. So here is a list of the people that kept me going today, and on many other days as well. They are listed in the order that they came into my mind today so if you are not on the list or are wondering about your order on the list, it was fairly random.

Joey-he was first in my thoughts because of the music, then I thought of the awesome shirt (to be revealed later) from Running Banana that he had made for me to wear when I run the marathon, and hooking me up with my excellent coach. The shirt is hanging up in our guest bathroom, which functions as my locker room, so I see it every day. Joey has been motivating me to do triathlons for a few years now, and I was fortunate to be present when he completed his first Ironman. I will be attempting my first Ironman in Novemeber 2008, and I'm thrilled that Joey has decided to do the race with me. He is always willing to mock me, harass me, or say whatever it takes to get me through a workout. He will also occasionally keep me company via text message when I am suffering on the treadmill. Thanks J!

Rachel-it's unusual for me to think of Joey without Rachel coming to mind, but in this case, it's more than inspiration by association. Rachel and I completed our first marathon together in Austin in Feb 2005. It was my second year of grad school, and I had no intention of doing a marathon that year. Rachel said she was going to do it so I decided I would try. After all, she has a full time career and a child. All I had to do was attend three classes and get busy writing up my Master's Project. If she could find time to train, I really didn't have a good excuse. Not only did she motivate me to do my first marathon, but I am pretty damn sure I would not have finished without her. We ended up running together for the part of the course that went through East Austin - around mile 20 I believe. There was little shade and it was so hot. I might have given up without her company. When I was visiting last week, I saw her medals from the half marathons she ran last year hanging on a hook on the wall. Last winter, in an effort to PR, Rachel ran four half marathons from December to mid-February. That's four 13.1 mile races in 2.5 months! Today on my run, I was thinking of the dedication and perseverance it took to accomplish that. Thanks Rachel!

By the way, I told Joey that he needed to frame those medals, but really they need a display case for all their combined hardware. I'm thinking something with spotlights, a small disco ball, and a motion sensor that triggers a trumpet fanfare whenever someone gets close. Seriously!

Brian-really there's way too much to cover for one blog entry, but what I thought of today was that this will be the first marathon that Brian has seen me run, and really one of the few races that he's been to so I want to do well. He's not big on coming to my races or anyone else's either-partly it's having to get up so early. He feels like his job is to get me to race day, which he does admirably. Now here's where some of that guilt comes in. Brian will be taking time off work to travel with me, and will likely spend most of our time in NY entertaining my nieces, who think he is the best thing ever. Now some of you might be thinking that taking a long weekend isn't a sacrifice, but Brian is trying to get tenure and has lots of grant deadlines coming up. I've been teasing him that he's obligated to watch me race since both our families will be there to cheer me on so he really can't get out of it, but I am so thrilled to know that he'll be there.

My family in New York-they will be waiting for me at mile 17 after I cross the 59th Street Bridge into Manhattan and again at mile 24 before I enter Central Park. I've never had a large group of people ready to cheer for me so I'm really excited. I'd like to look like I'm not ready to keel over when I see them.

Brandon Marsh, my coach-there's the guilt factor again. He has put in the time and effort to develop a training program for me, the least I can do is execute it to the best of my ability. Yes, I known he is getting paid for his services, but that's hardly the point. Also, I wouldn't want to reflect badly on him by having a crappy race.

Maggie-last but not least. Maggie did Ironman Florida with Joey so I got to be there with her for that, which is inspirational in and of itself, but today she helped keep me sane. I finished up my run on the treadmill at the gym. My workout today was 15-18 miles but not more than 3 hours, but do the last 5 miles at a fast pace. I knew I needed the treadmill to help keep my pace up. So there I was trying to stay focused and finish strong without having a mental meltdown - the TVs were showing a religious service, Nascar, and bowling. It was too early for football. Seriously, just kill me! Maggie texted me about her morning workout and we proceeded to have a conversation that got me through the last 3 miles. Yes, I can text and run on a treadmill - as long as it's not speedwork. Thanks Chica! You rock!

So these are the things I was thinking of as I went through my run today. Perhaps this was more of a look into my psyche than anyone really needed, but that's just how it is. Thanks to all my family and friends. Even if you weren't on today's list, I couldn't do this without you. The marathon might be a solo event, but no one gets to race day on their own.