Category: Running

If You Want a Different Result, Try Something New!

I’ve been going back and forth trying to get my training plan right.  I am working with a Marathon Heart Rate Training group plan which calls for me to keep my heart rate at, or under 140 bpm.  I also have been thinking about using the Galloway method of run/walk/run intervals to train.  I keep going back and forth with the benefits of each plan.  The heart rate plan builds my anaerobic systems and should keep me healthy and injury free.  The Galloway plan also keeps me injury free as I’m building in recovery and not continuously straining my ankle tendons.  I keep asking myself, Do I realistically expect to run 26.2 miles without stopping?  Do I want to train using run/walk/run intervals, or continuous running like I did for my half marathon?  There are so many things to consider and honestly my achilles is still not feeling great.  I’ve been trying to push through and modify as needed but the pain has not totally subsided.  It’s super hard to be motivated to train and run when it hurts.

When I returned to running this spring, I was using intervals to build my stamina back up.  I always felt the time went faster and it was a great workout.  Yet, I still thought of it as a temporary measure, one that was meant to build me up and then taper away.  As I continued, I had the goal of increasing the intervals until they were gone.  A few weeks ago, I began continuous running and worked up to 6 miles on long runs. If I’m honest with myself, my feet were crying from mile 5 on.  After the run I had difficulty walking and my day was pretty much left to roll, soak, elevate and rest.  Clearly, something had to give and that something was my EGO.

Last year, I joined a running club in Manhattan – The Galloway Club.  I never went to one run and just decided it wasn’t for me because after all, I was a runner.  This year, I joined the club again and told myself I was going to try it, but didn’t.  While I did try intervals, I didn’t go to join the club for the long runs, which by the way are geared to training for the marathon.  This week I had a long, honest talk with my EGO and decided that if I am going to make it through this marathon I need to do what my body needs, not what my EGO wants.  Wednesday morning I met with Filicia, a local Galloway club member and we ran 3 miles at the park.  We did 45:30 intervals and I noticed that my pace was much quicker than when I run continuously.  I also noticed that my feet didn’t hurt quite as much.  The rest of the day I didn’t need to recover and elevate, ice, etc my feet.  Listening to her tell me about the three marathons she ran successfully really helped me make my decision.  I am officially doing run/walk/run interval training and plan to run the marathon using this strategy.  Thanks Filicia for talking me through this and for running with me!

Today, we met again and ran 7 miles, the same route I ran last week.  Last week by mile 5 my feet were pretty shot and I wasn’t sure if I could finish.  This week, though I had some soreness, I finished the run and didn’t feel finished for the day.  I’m super excited to feel like I WILL complete this marathon using this strategy.  I also am excited that perhaps my achilles will finally begin to heal.  When I compare how I felt this week recovering from the run to how I felt last week it is really a no brainer.  I feel much better and more able to go about the business of my day.

In reflecting on why this decision was so hard for me to make, I know my ego is the cause.  I didn’t think of run/walk/run intervals as “running”.  I felt that if I needed to use this strategy, I was weak.  I am fully aware that the man who created this method, Jeff Galloway, is an Olympian, but I just couldn’t get past feeling like a failure.  A funny thing happened on these last two runs – I felt like I worked hard.  I wasn’t slogging along slowly, praying for the run to end.  I actually felt invigorated and more athletic than before.  It’s hard to explain, but I felt very accomplished and know in my heart I made the right choice.  The reality is, whether I walk, run or crawl, a mile is a mile and I’m out there moving forward!

What are the bullshit stories you tell yourself when you workout, or run?  Please share below.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Slow Ride Take it Easy

Today’s tip is to slow down your run to increase benefits to your heart and body!

As I obsessed and worried about not being able to run faster, I did a lot of reading about the benefits of running vs walking and of running slow.  According to some research I read, the best workout for people of all ages is running but, there’s a catch to this research which really made me feel better.  One group of researchers followed a group of runners over a long period of time.  They found that the runners who ran in moderation showed more gains than those who ran more often and faster!  This made my heart sing.  When you are out there jogging along wondering why in the world you can’t go faster without taking the joy out of running, research like this gives you new purpose.  It also aligns with the work of Phil Maffetone and Jeff Galloway.  All I have to say is keep it coming!

According to what I read, the runners who ran 3-4 times a week at a slower pace had the most long term health gains.  Currently, I’m doing 4 slow runs a week (3 short, 1 long) with the goal to get back to 5 runs in the coming weeks.  I’ve been debating on the 5th run as my achilles is still a little tentative so reading this almost gave me permission to cross train instead that day doing something that doesn’t require me to be on my feet.  My husband is getting my bike road ready for use this summer and I’ve rejoined my yoga studio.

After experiencing two major injuries, I worry about the toll running might take on my body.  Slowing it down has kept me on the road injury free.  I’ve been dabbling with Galloway running, but like the slow, steady run better than the start and stop of interval running.  Galloway himself though has continue to run long after his 50th birthday and remains injury free, so I believe the slow, gentle philosophy rather than the focus on speed is in line with where I am at right now in my running life.  Right now my focus is on building up my distance to cover 26.2 miles.  If I get tired on the long run, I can switch to interval running and add more miles.

I must admit I do still look at the end of each run to see if my pace was faster than the last run, but don’t get discouraged about it any more.  I’m more excited when I see my training index on my watch and it says – moderate, not “extreme workout” like it used to. I’m also excited by the fat burn index which is much higher following a long slow run than a fast run.  For example, todays 2 mile run fat burn index was 25% compared to a faster 2 mile run fat burn index of 12%.   Not sure about the science aspect of that but I know it means an increase in fat burning at the slower rate!

If you have slowed down the run and felt the benefits please share below.  I’d love to chat with you about the impact it has had on you.

 

 

 

 

 

Regain a Love of Running

When I started a heart rate training plan last year I was excited to be able to run without injury.  That was my goal.  I didn’t care how slow I ran, or how boring it was running for hours on end, I was happy to be able to finish what I started – a half marathon.  But shortly after, a funny thing happened to many of us in the heart rate group.  We seemed to have lost our running mojo.  Disappointed with our lack of measurable progress we began to feel defeated.  Running by heart rate is a long process, not a quick fix and many of us had thought we’d be further along a year in.  Some of us, myself included, were never able to get back to our pre heart rate pace.  This perceived failure to grow as a runner led to lack of motivation to run.

After spending the winter months training with broken toes on a treadmill to keep my fitness going, I was bitch slapped when I began running outside again.  I totally felt like the winter running was a huge waste of time.  I couldn’t even run a mile without feeling defeated.  To top that off my weight was up about 15 pounds and that didn’t help my running one bit.  As I struggled to get those first outside runs in I began to have pain in my achilles.  To say I lost confidence in my ability to run is a huge understatement.

This past week, I read an article in my local newspaper about a woman who is running her first marathon (NYC) this year.  She spoke about feeling overwhelmed by the task and how it caused her to lose her confidence and question why she was even attempting to do it.  Right! That’s exactly where I am at right now.  On each of those struggle runs I talked at myself and said, why in the world are you doing this.  You don’t need to do this.  You can’t even run 3 miles right now how in the world will you run 26.2.  Reading this article really helped me understand that it was completely normal to feel overwhelmed and scared of the daunting task I am taking on.

Running a marathon is a huge undertaking and one that can’t be taken lightly.  Thankfully, I have now given myself a break and accepted that my feelings of being overwhelmed are completely normal.  This week I was able to do a 3 mile run without using intervals.  Hope springs eternal and I feel like I may be over the hump of getting started.  I’m still suffering from pain in my achilles and have been trying to use intervals to not damage it as it heals.  These last two runs I completed without intervals and while I had some pain afterwards it wasn’t too bad.  Maybe, just maybe I can do this marathon after all.

When confidence is lost, the first step on the road back is to identify what is causing these feelings.  For me it was fear of failure – not being able to complete the marathon I’ve signed up for.  Recognizing that and giving myself permission to feel this way was a huge help to motivate me to at least get out there and try.  Like any other obstacle, the first step is admitting the issue and then creating a plan to deal with it.  My plan is pretty simple right now – take it one day and one run at a time.  Here’s my current plan to regain my running confidence:

  1. Set a goal – My goal right now is to complete my training runs each week and not get too far ahead in my thinking.  I’m going to focus on just one week at a time and follow my plan without skipping workout sessions.  This week so far I’m on track with this morning’s long run ahead of me.  Hoping to be able to get 6 of the called for 8 miles in.  Not sure I should jump up to 8 miles too fast as the achilles has prevented me from running more than 3-4 miles.
  2. Stay connected – I’ve been reaching out to other runners and trying to find someone to run with at least for long runs.
  3. Change or scenery – I always run the same route day after day.  I’ve decided to try to vary my routes to spark some interest.  I’m seeking out new places to run that might prove more interesting and break the monotony of my routine.
  4. Cross Train – I’ve decided to get back to the yoga studio.  I loved, loved, loved hot yoga but when I started running I gave it up.  I couldn’t figure out how to fit it in.  I signed up for unlimited yoga classes this summer and hope to get yoga back into my weekly routine.  I also think it will help my achilles and other muscles a lot!  Super excited about this.

The long and short of my musings today is give yourself permission to feel scared.  It’s completely normal to be nervous about new challenges you are taking on.  Just don’t let those nerves steal your motivation to do the work.  Break it down to smaller, more manageable tasks and keep on going.  One day, one workout, one run at a time – just put one foot in front of the other.

Have you lost your confidence, or motivation to work out?  What helped you get back on track?  Please share below, I’d love to hear about your struggles and successes.

Great memoir for anyone running their first marathon –

Money Trees

Ever wonder why healthy living has to be so darn expensive?  From higher prices on organic food to expensive gym memberships, it never ceases to amaze me how people take advantage of those seeking to live a healthy life.  There are so many scammers out there preying upon those desperate to lose weight.

Recently, I fell victim to one of the latest fads.  I knew going in that it was overpriced and told myself I’d just take the free class.  I think a gym membership of over $100 per month, for one class a week, is totally ridiculous, but people were plunking down their money around me.  I was looking for a cross training option to eliminate one run per week so I thought I’d give it a try.  People from my school were going so I thought it’d be fun to go with a group.  I decided to call to set up an appointment to take the free class they were offering.  I should have known at that moment not to get involved!  The bells were ringing, but I chose not to listen.  When I made the appointment for the free class, they asked for my credit card to hold a spot.  I said, no way.  I am not buying anything so I will not give my card.  They said they needed it in the event I failed to show up.  Hmmmm  My friend graciously used her card (she was a member) to hold the spot for me.

After the class, which I did enjoy, I agreed to sign up for one class per week at $89 per month plus tax.  I did think the price was high, but felt ok about it as I used to pay that for yoga classes.   When I arrived for my first class at the studio (not free) I was informed that I had to purchase, or rent, a heart rate monitor.  I informed them that I already owned a chest strap and was in fact wearing it with my watch.  They told me I had to purchase, or rent, theirs in order to have my results up on the board and emailed to me after class.  I asked how much the strap was.  The monitor would be another 80ish dollars.  When I refused, the person at the desk seemed shocked.  I guess nobody every refused before.  When she reminded me I wouldn’t get my results displayed, I informed her without my glasses I couldn’t see them anyway.  But, you won’t get your emailed results, to which I replied I’d get them from my watch.

After going a few times, I realized that I wasn’t getting to replace a run after all.  When you take this class you run/walk for 30 minutes on a treadmill every class.  At this point I decided to cancel my membership as it was not really meeting my needs.  I knew you had to do so in writing so I emailed and texted the owner my request to cancel my membership.  I asked for confirmation and the date my membership would end.  Of course, cancelling is not an easy thing either.  I received a voice message stating I’d have to come in to the studio and fill out paperwork to cancel.  Wow.

This newest fad in gym memberships, the boutique gym is really just another way to rip people off.  From the first phone call I knew this gym was out to make money at every turn.  While it is a nice workout, it is surely not worth over $119 per month which most girls in my office are paying, some as much as $179.  The brand new, very nice gym my husband joined costs him $20 per month.  They have the exact same equipment.  They don’t even advertise and they are doing just fine.  Clearly, the other gym is appealing to women who will pay just about anything to lose weight.

Today I will go over to the gym and fill out the paper work.  I am sure I will get a hard sell to stay and that really annoys me.  I hope my experience serves as a reminder to us all of what I already knew.  You don’t have to pay through the nose to get a great workout.  I gave up my gym memberships long ago in favor of working out at home.  I am motivated and don’t need a boutique experience to keep me on track.  I can lace up my sneakers and do that exact same workout right here.  I have all the same equipment they had.   Here are some great workouts you can do at home for free.

Walking/Running – just lace up your sneakers and go.  Keep a pair in your car at all times and you can walk at lunch during work, or on the drive home.  Sometimes, I pull over at the local park and do just that.  I purchased a treadmill for home and keep it in my basement for those bad weather days and months.  Best investment ever.  I got mine at Costco and they even came and assembled it on delivery.

Elliptical – I also purchased an elliptical machine at Costco and have this in my basement.  I’m not a total fan of it, but it got me through many injuries.  Blast the music and go.  I like to alternate songs, one fast – one slow.

Yoga – I purchased yoga burn for under $20 and it has many workouts, but you can truly find so many classes for free online.  Google on youtube for any type of yoga class.

Weight training – Many classes are online for free.  You can purchase some hand weights.  I have a professional weight bench and set up (from my husband).  We’ve had it for over 20 years.

The options are limitless and again in most cases free.  Want a boutique experience, invest in a great sound system and spend the money fixing up your personal gym.  Me, I like to exercise some days in my pajamas.

Have you fallen victim to a fad recently?  What happened to you?  Please share, as we all need to remind ourselves often that expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better!

There’s an Option for That

Just back from a few days in San Diego.  What a beautiful, peaceful place with absolutely perfect weather every day.  I only got in one run during my time there as my Achilles is still bothering me.  Recently, I had to switch over to intervals of run/walk to not do more damage to my tendon and hopefully keep moving forward.  It’s important to know there’s generally an option for getting your workout in and that has to be good enough for now.

Depending on the injury, or issue, there is very often an option for getting in a workout.  In the past, I would completely stop working out and feel totally sorry for myself.  I’ve learned to find the modification that I can do and just focus on that.  So, for me right now the option is walk/run intervals and I’ve resigned myself to this fact and actually quite enjoy it.  Walk/run intervals are keeping me on the road and not further damaging my tendon.

What options are out there for your injury?  It really depends on what it is and what your doctor, or PT thinks is appropriate.  I can tell you what has kept me going during my injuries and hope you connect in some way.

Lower Body Injuries – Work Your Upper Body

When I had ankle tendon repair surgery it was a long time before I could even walk.  To keep my sanity I worked my upper body.  I broke the upper body into sections and each day I did something while seated in a chair.  Chest and biceps one day, triceps and back another.  There are many videos available on YouTube, but I used Body Beast videos by Beachbody.

Can’t Run – Walk

If you can’t run at all there is always the walk option.  You get just as good of a workout with less stress on your muscles and joints.  When I am in the walk mode I tell myself a simple truth – a mile is a mile no matter how fast you move.  Shoot for 10,000 steps a day and you’ll be getting enough movement.

Returning to Running – Try Run/Walk Intervals

I’m currently using Galloway training methods coupled with heart rate training to get myself back on the road.  My Achilles has been bothering me terribly and it’s been frustrating.  Run/walk intervals allows me to get in time on my feet needed without further injuring the tendon.  When using these intervals you are not putting constant stress on the tendons.  When you are walking you are using different muscles than when you are running.  The switching back and forth allows muscles some time to rest.  I’m hoping this will keep me in the game for my race in November.

It’s hard to keep motivated when you feel down and out.  Talk to you doctor and see what you can do.  Finding something I could do has helped keep me sane when I easily could have given up.  I hope you find a way to keep moving through.  Please share below what has kept you going during injuries.

 

Little Red Runners

These past two weeks I ran in local races in support of good causes.  These are the races I first ran three years back when I began this journey.  These races are also the first races my work team ran together.  Little Red Runners is a team comprised of teachers from my school and myself.  Three years ago we started a competition at work – Biggest Loser. As part of this competition, some of us started running as a workout.  That year, I registered for a Memorial Day 4 mile run and created a team.  I put the information on Facebook and invited anyone at work to join me.  Little Red Runners was created and we have had some exciting adventures over the past three years.  We definitely caught the running bug and have signed up for so many races together.  I’d say this team has been instrumental in keeping me out there pounding the pavement.

Today I’d like to reflect a bit on the role this team has played in my journey.  All of us have set and met goals during this time, both in weight loss and running.  All of us have stuck with the running and we’ve added a few members to the group.  All of us have completed half marathon distances and one has run a marathon.  Two of us will run the NYC Marathon this year.  We have supported each other on our individual goals and through injury and down times.  While all of this is impressive, this team has also had impact on our personal lives.

When you run and preserve through the challenges, you can become an inspiration to others.  You just never know the impact you can have on someone through sharing your journey.  That has been the point of this blog, in addition to keeping myself on the path.  I’ve seen this impact first hand through my work running team.  One member, Patty Peppermints as she is lovingly called, has inspired so many with her journey.  She not only lost weight, but she inspired her family to join her on this running journey.  Her two daughters now run and they’ve joined their mother on many running adventures, including the marathon distance.  It has been a joy and pleasure to run with these ladies as part of our Little Red Runners team. These past two weekends reminded me of just how far we all have come.

The last two weekends the team has completed two local races, yesterday’s was in support of a fallen 9/11 firefighter.  There’s just something about doing these local races.  It’s so nice to not have to travel early in the morning and worry about traffic or parking.  It’s also nice to see the same familiar faces out at the race.  The local after race parties are also fun and family oriented. But what’s best of all is meeting up with the Little Red Runners for a run and some laughs.  These ladies have helped motivate me and kept me on my running journey.  Watching the impact running has had on our lives is a true testament to finding a running tribe.

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What’s your journey?  Please share below what has inspired you.

Finding Your Tribe

Wanted – Running group.  Must be supportive and fun loving.  Willing to run early mornings and drink IPA beers after races.  Interested in exploring new routes and suffer through hot, humid days of summer.  Must be willing to sacrifice pace on occasion if group member needs company.  No runner left behind.

Running is very often a one person sport, especially when training for longer distance races.  During my half marathon training last year, I did 100% of the training runs alone.  Partly this was due to the fact that I don’t like the pressure of trying to run at someone else’s pace. I am a slower runner and when I try to run with others I often start to feel bad about myself because I can’t keep up.  I’ve found solace in music and meditation as I run, but it sure would be nice to run with others.  Definitely would make the miles go by faster.

This year as I get ready to begin training for the marathon, I’ve decided to try again to run with others.  Now, I just need to find my tribe – people who run at a pace similar to mine, or are willing to run with me regardless of pace.  I am a member of an online running club and love how supportive this group is.  When I ran my first half marathon, it was with this club.  We all met in the shadows of the steel stacks in Bethlehem, PA for a weekend of running events at the Runners World Festival.  These people were my phone and computer friends, none of which I had ever met in person prior to that weekend.  I must say it was slightly unnerving to attend an event with strangers, but I just knew it was going to be awesome.

Sub30 is a group of runners who share the goal of running a sub 30 minute 5K race.  But, it is so much more than just that.  It is a club that includes people from all over the country.  They share many goals, the most important of which is positivity.  The heart of the group is the ideal that we lift others up and no subber is ever left behind.  During my weekend at the Runner’s World Festival, this running club’s support was incredible to see and receive.  There were people pacing others, sacrificing any PR goals to support another to their goals.  There were people cheering at every race for anyone in the club, strangers or not.  And, there were people near the finish waiting to run in with members of the club, those last steps.  What a true testament this club is to the running community.  It was something so wonderful to experience in person.

 

With this club experience in mind, I decided this year to try to participate more in my local clubs.  I had joined two last year but never attended any of their group runs or events.  This week I attended my first group meet up with a local running club.  While everyone was friendly enough, I didn’t get the same feel as I did from the Sub30 group.  It just seemed like I went to this event to run alone leaving me wonder if I really needed to drive there to do that.  I will definitely give it another try though.  Perhaps on other evenings there will be others who run at a slightly slower pace.  The whole experience left me wishing my Sub30 crew lived closer and wondering why all clubs don’t embrace the same goals.

I have a second club that I’m a member of which is not quite as local.  It is in Manhattan and they meet up on Saturday mornings.  I get a really good feeling about this running club, but the location makes it more challenging for me to get to.  It’s hard to commit to driving in to Manhattan on Saturday mornings when I generally go to Queens to check in on my parents.  I’m trying to work out the logistics though because I’d love to see how this club operates.

I used to prefer to run solo, but recovering from these last two injuries have left me really struggling to regain my confidence.  I’m afraid of re-injuring myself each time I lace up.  I’m questioning my abilities as I struggle through what used to be so easy for me to do.  I’m wondering when running became so hard and how even though I ran with broken toes all winter I’ve lost so much conditioning.  I know that if I could find a good, supportive tribe I could regain my confidence.  The support of the running community is what I need now to push me through.  Running doesn’t have to be this hard and the energy of others will lift me up.

After struggling to keep up with my training schedule as my injury healed, I have finally decided I cant do this alone anymore.  It’s time I step outside my comfort zone and find a running club, or partner, that I can actually run with on a regular basis.  Going to the local meet up this week was the first step and even though it wasn’t amazing, it won’t be the last.

Do you have a local running club you run with?  How did you find your tribe?  I’d love to hear about how the power of this human connection impacted your journey.  Be sure to leave a comment below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Necessary Revisions

What’s getting in the way of your fitness growth?  Is it the bullshit stories you tell yourself?  Is your actual training plan causing you to lose motivation?  Lately, for me, it’s been a little of both, with a sprinkle of injury mixed in.

Running is often a solitary activity which challenges you on so many levels.  I’ve personally pounded thousands of miles these past two years alone.  This gives me a lot of time to think and get in touch with myself, but it also can be lonely.  While I don’t truly mind a nice long run with my music, there’s nothing like a nice long run with your running friends.  Time goes by so fast when you’re chatting it up and as an added bonus it takes your mind off the other stuff that comes up when running alone.

The problem I’ve had this past year, aside from injury, is that I was doing heart rate training.  This training really forced me to avoid group runs as I’ve had to slow my pace to a crawl to keep my heart rate in the right zone.  Worse still, it’s taken some of the fun and joy out of running for me.  I thought it was the training itself and slow pace of it that bothered me lately, but realize now it’s the connection to people I’m missing most.  Like everything else in life, human connection sparks excitement and motivation.  I’m missing my running tribe.

I’ve decided to rethink some of my training because I’m feeling like I’m in a running slump.  I’m losing motivation because I’m not feeling like I’m part of anything beyond solitary miles of running.  I miss running on the boardwalk with my running friends and running without constantly checking my HR watch to see if I’m in the right zone.  I’ve made running have way too many rules and somehow lost its joy in the process.  It’s time to take back control over how I train and find some balance in my plan.

First, I need to connect to people during some of my runs and move away from worrying that doing that would violate some HR rules.  On these runs, I plan to leave my HR chest strap home and concentrate on the beautiful scenery and conversation.  I also have some running clubs that I joined last year and  while I participated in online conversation, I never went to one run because I was worried about the plan I was doing and the targets I had to hit.  This year I plan to attend the group runs and not care if I’m at the back of the pack and again the chest strap can just stay home.  I will certainly run at a comfortable effort and not overdo it, but I don’t need that darn watching beeping constantly.  There are so many great people in both of my groups who are on a similar journey to mine.  I can’t wait to go, share the journey and connect on my first run tomorrow morning!

Next, I need to balance my training.  I’m not giving up on heart rate training because I know the research shows it is right for me.  Instead of doing only heart rate based runs, I plan to do a mix of different types of runs.  This should increase my motivation and rekindle excitement about running.  I plan to reread Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 book and work out a training plan that works for me.  The premise of the plan is to balance your training for growth, including tempo, easy and long runs.  I used to love running pick ups after each miles they really made it more interesting and spread the speed work across miles, helping me improve my pace without overtaxing my body.

I’m also really looking forward to doing some local fun runs this year.  I had stopped doing them in favor of doing larger races.  Since NYC marathon is my goal race this year, my focus is solely on that race.  I am not planning to do a lot of other races, just local races that I can enjoy.  There are so many wonderful races right here on Staten Island that I truly enjoyed in the past.  No stress with traffic or parking, just convenient fun workouts.  The first of these races is rapidly approaching and I’m super excited to do it with my team – Little Red Runners.  This will be our third year running this Memorial Day race and this year they’ve improved the after party.  Here’s our beautiful team at last year’s run:

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Finally, I’m coming to accept that I am a slow runner, always have been – even in my twenties.  It’s truly fine because an eight minute mile and a thirteen minute mile are truly the same thing – a mile.  It really doesn’t matter how long it takes, it matters that I’m doing it. I can put to rest this quest to run an eight minute mile because for now it’s just not going to happen.  I can’t make pace my priority anymore as it only serves to make me feel bad about myself.  Anything that removes enjoyment from my run is no longer welcome.  This journey is about being healthy and I’m not winning any race anytime soon.  My goal has always been to finish the race and stay healthy.  I have to go back to reminding myself of that.  I’ve even washed my favorite shirt and will likely wear it to the Memorial Day race in a few weeks.

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What’s holding you back from fitness growth?  Is it the bullshit stories you’re telling yourself?  Please share below and let’s get back on track together.

Book mentioned in article:

80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower