Morning Motivation

Today has been a good day so far. I’ve weighed myself and I’ve lost 2 lbs (yay me!) and my blog hit the 100 views mark! May not seem like a big deal, but it makes me feel good to know that people are actually reading it (Ryan doesn’t count)

Every night when I go to sleep I tell myself, maybe tomorrow morning I’ll get up a little earlier and go for a run, take the dogs for a long walk, do some morning yoga, etc etc, and it never happens. I even set the alarm on my iPhone for multiple times; once at 5:30, 6:00, and so on, but it never fails that I never see the day before 7 on a weekday. Ryan is so good about not nagging me about my alarm, because I know it’s annoying. Why even set it and allow it go off every 10 minutes, if I’m never going to get up on time? I think mostly it’s because I have ambition, just no discipline.

In the spring and summer it’s not nearly as difficult because I am anxious to get outside then. Going for a run in Central Park in the morning is one of my favorite things to do in the city. You get to see this place come alive, with the food vendors hauling their carts to their street corners, people out walking their dogs, and the hundreds of people that flock to the park to get a workout in before the start of their day. I like being a part of that.

But now during the winter when it’s yucky and dark out and cold, the only thing I want to do is hibernate under the warm covers. I especially feel this way since getting up early makes me envious of Ryan, still sleeping peacefully while I pull myself out of my slumber. I wish I could be like my little terrier, bouncing off the bed and walls (literally) at 6 am, fully of energy and ready to go.

I need some sort of morning motivation to get me out of bed and on the go, and not so rushed. Because that’s what I end up being nearly every morning: rushed.

I did a little research online to see if there was advice (non-medicated) to help with my little problem. I came across one site the recommends disciplining you to just get up as soon as the alarm goes off. Don’t think about it, don’t hit snooze, just get up. This one sounds a little easier said than done. If that was all there was to it, millions of people would be doing that by now.

With that said, I think that this could be a good starting point. You practice at everything else in your life to succeed, and this is just another task that must be worked at. I couldn’t just complete this marathon with training and preparing myself for it.

This approach is about setting a wake-up ritual.

I’m going to try it tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Do you have any motivators that help get you up in the morning? I could use the suggestions!

The Happiness Project

Mother Nature decided to blanket our city in a blizzard today, so there's not much chance for running outside. It's really coming down like crazy. I'm hoping to make it to the gym tonight for another 4 mile run.

Aside from that, I've been reading this great book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It's about setting resolutions for yourself throughout the year to help you focus more on being happy. For example, treating your spouse with more respect or making strides in your job to increase your happiness. You can even go to the author's site and create your own Happiness Project and set your own goals. Check out the author's blog here: http://www.happiness-project.com/

**Well, I decided to venture out into the snow to go to the gym. I think any direction I walked, the wind was blowing hard in my face. Those snowflakes feel like needles when they hit your face
and I got my poor running shoes wet by mistaking a HUGE puddle for the sidewalk. There's nothing more enjoyable than running in soggy shoes.
When I got to the gym, I found out that they were closing early because of the weather, but I had about 40 minutes that I could get a decent run in. Thanks to the weather, the gym wasn't nearly as crowded and I actually got a good treadmill. (This also goes for the subway. I actually got a seat during rush hour!) You know how it is- you get used to a certain gym and the equipment and you scout out the good stuff. The treadmill I got tonight had fans on BOTH sides. Those are never available! So that and a re-run of The Office made for an enjoyable run. Now let me take a sec to complain about NYSC. Right at 7 one of the workers came upstairs to where all of the cardio machines are and turned the lights off, saying they were now closed. What!? How can you even do that while people are still running? Isn't that a little dangerous? I understand that they wanted to get home, but that is absolutely no way to run a business. I go back to what I've always said about customer service in New York- there's not any. Or if there is, I rarely experience it. My guess is that location is getting quite a few complaints tonight from some unhappy exercisers.

Bridal Bootcamp

I spent half of last week recovering from a hurt knee and the other half making excuses why I shouldn't go running. I did have one decent excuse- my best friend Rebecca came in for the weekend and there was no time for running, only shopping.

However, I did realize today that my wedding is 3 and a half months from today and this bride needs to get in gear. So this marathon training is doubling as bridal bootcamp.

Some things I've realized since I started training:
1- Don't EVER start training for a marathon when it's freaking cold outside unless you have a nice warm car to commute to the gym in.

2- Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream does not count as a good pre-workout snack. You will pay for that later.

3- Running outside in the cold is ridiculous....and brutal.

Since I only had to run 3 miles today, it seemed silly to walk 6 blocks in the cold to get to the gym, so I put on a few layers and headed outside. It all started out well enough. I turned my ipod on to Lady Gaga and started around the block. Halfway through Just Dance it hit me: this was down right painful.

Pros of running outside- You run fast in order to convince yourself that if you run fast enough, you'll warm up, and this whole silly thing won't be so bad.

Cons of running outside- You never truly warm up because your ears are on the verge of frostbite and your lungs feel like they'll never stop burning.

After weighing these pros and cons, surprisingly the cons won out and I decided to just walk the 6 blocks to the gym. I made my way to the treadmills, picked one, and started running. That's when #2 on the list kicked in- Ben and Jerry's= not a good workout buddy.

I wrapped up my run and walked my freezing self home. Tomorrow is my next run of 4 miles. I think I'll be more properly fueled, and prepared, for this one.

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Reality

First off, you would think that the streets would be relatively empty at 10:30 at night on a Monday in January. And in any other city you might be right, but not in New York. I suppose it's because temperatures here have finally spiked to a reasonable degree here at 50 degrees and people are celebrating like it's spring. Whatever the reason, I had to weave in and out of people the entire run.

When I made it to the end of the block, I had to quickly decide which way to go. Right would take me up towards Lincoln Center to a really nice part of town, but the road splits in a weird way at a certain point, and it's always a pain in the butt to navigate when you're trying to keep a decent pace.
Left would take me downtown, towards Times Square. I decided to go left. I've run this way a few times before, but I guess I must've gone a little farther than usual tonight. I ended up down by where the Lincoln Tunnel connects to the city and is basically a flood gate for all of the traffic coming in. Also, not the best part of town apparently. Had I spent any longer in that area, I probably would've ended up high from all of the pot that was being smoked. Oh well, what else do people that live by bridges have to do? I don't think I'll be running that route again any time soon.

I was a bit self conscious the whole run because I was forced to wear my laundry day running pants. Ha- that would be a good thing if today was even laundry day. But it's not. And tomorrow probably won't be either. Ryan and I have a difficult time doing the laundry and any one that's ever lived in an apartment building and shared 4 washers and dryers among 100 units would understand. You have to lug all your stuff down to the basement, pray for a couple open machines, and then wait the hour and a half that it takes to complete just one load. On the plus side, I've had more compliments on my rolling laundry cart than anything else. Like the weather, it just seems to be a conversation starter. Bed Bath & Beyond owes me some money for all of the people that I've sent their way for this awesome invention.
Back to the pants. These pants have been around for longer than any pants should be. I believe they were purchased my freshman year of college, so you do the math. That's been a while. Oh, and they're a little snug. Just a little. I've thought on many occasions that I should throw them away, but then what would I do on nights like this with nothing else to wear? Solution? Wear a slightly longer shirt to cover just how snuggish they are. Oh, and don't stand at red lights too long where people can get a good look at you. As long as you're moving, you really can't tell. Who knows, maybe I'll break down and order some more running pants from Target. I think they're on sale this week! I was supposed to do a 3 mile run tonight, but only ended up doing 2.5. I think my pants were cutting into my vital organs, and I some strange pains came over me. That's ok though. I'm a month ahead of my training schedule.

So this post is getting pretty long- Just one more thing. I'm following a new running guide for non-marathon runners. I think they have a 100% success rate for their approach, so I feel like I'm in good hands. The book is called The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer. The 'lessons' are broken down by week, so you start your week off motivated. Here's a great line from this week's lesson: Change your thoughts or action and you change your reality.

On that note, I'm going to bed. Good night!

Yay for days off!

It is a great day. Why? Because it's a Monday and I'm off of work!! Plus, Ryan has to work today, which means I get the apartment to myself. This means that I get to watch as many uninterrupted episodes of Secret Life of The American Teenager as I want without being told how stupid it is.

I ordered a new marathon training book from Barnes and Noble this morning and since I get same day delivery in Manhattan, it should be here by tonight! And yes, I could have just walked the 8 blocks to the actual store, but the prices are cheaper online, so it's a win-win. I hope it's a good book.

I'm heading to the gym in a couple hours, and hoping to run 5-6 miles today. I'll post how it goes.

If you're not working today, enjoy your day off. And if you are working today, you should find a more holiday-friendly employer!



***I finished my run today. The pro is that I did 6 miles and the gym wasn't too crowded. The con is that I must have pulled something in my lower back because it is hurting like a mo fo.

First run in the new year

It took me a few days into the new year to finally get motivated enough to walk the 6.5 blocks in the freezing cold to the gym, but I made it today. I didn't make it very long during my run today. Only 2.5 miles, but it was a decent start. Maybe better tomorrow!

New Years Resolutions

So I took a bit of a holiday hiatus and didn't do much running. Actually I'm not sure that I did any running. But that's besides the point. I plan on joining the rest of the people that made health related resolutions and get back to the gym. I've decided to run the Seattle marathon in June with my friend Megan. That leaves me 6 months to train, plus the bonus of getting fit for my wedding day. To ease back into my fitness routine, I've been playing a bit of Wii Fit Plus. It politely pointed out that I'd gained 4 lbs since the last time I used it a few months ago, but I feel pretty confident that that weight will be gone again soon. I just have to get through tonight, New Years Eve, and tomorrow is a new start.

In addition to the marathon, I have a few more goals for 2010.

1- Save money. I am going to attempt to not buy any 'extra' unnecessary item for the entire month of January. No clothes, no shoes, nothing...unless I buy it with my gift cards from Christmas. People budget all the time. It's time for me to learn how to as well.

2. Be more like Martha....as in Martha Stewart. I want to be more organized, more creative, and more homemaker-ish. In honor of this new goal, I'm even making a Martha dessert for tonight. Caramelized Banana Splits. Should be delicious.

Anyways, cheers to a new start and good luck with sticking to all of your resolutions. I'll let you know how mine go!