I saw this photo below and it has always been one of my motivations to keep training, making new goals, and signing up for new races. The sheer fear of getting out of shape and having to fight and claw my way back to fitness is enough to keep me running often even when I’m not training for something. Even on days when I don’t feel like working out I know the experience will be WAY better than if I miss a bunch of workouts.

Those first weeks of starting anything new are hard, painful, and full of opportunities to fail. For many of you, you fought through those days and weeks like a trooper! Why would you throw all that hard work away? Rest days are necessary, but take too many and you’ll be back to the beginning-a dark place to be!

People often refer to my marathon running to the likes of masochists. To me, the true masochists are the people who start to workout, get frustrated, and quit. Then repeat this process over and over! Talk about painful!

If you’ve recently fought through the rough battle of beginning to exercise, don’t forget how hard you worked. Do NOT give up on the progress YOU’VE made. You deserve to keep going! Think of that struggle as motivation to never be back there again.

If you’ve let yourself slide a bit (or a lot), then there is no easy way to get it back. Put on your big kid undies and saddle up!! In a few days/weeks you will be so proud of yourself and glad you did.

So, don’t be a quitter because you know what they say about quitters!

Happy Monday!