Category Archives: Motivation Monday

{Motivation Monday-Holiday Running Mix}

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My RunKeeper was acting weird last night, AND I know I DID NOT run or swim across the lake last night!

I love the holidays-the lights, the movies, the music, the everything! One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to run to Christmas music while enjoying the lights in people’s yards, the festive parks, and to de-stress from the holidays. The first snow usually occurs during the holiday season and provides a change in scenery for the same routes.

To brighten your next run, I’ve created a holiday run mix to put some festive energy into your upcoming miles. The first and last couple of songs are just a bit slower beat than the others to let your properly warm up and cool down between the main part of your run. If you are participating in Runner’s World run streak (Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day), then this mix will likely help you complete a run everyday between now and New Year’s Day. If you hate holiday music, then bah humbug to you! Remember even a mile a day can help relieve holiday stress and put some extra spirit in your holiday cheer!
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Happy Monday!

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{Motivation Monday-Thanksgiving Week}

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With Thanksgiving just days away, it is time to start planning your exercise and food choices TODAY. Yes, I said today. I find that by planning workouts and thinking about food ahead, I’m much less likely to miss workouts and go crazy with food. With the holidays bringing yummy foods and traditions that revolve around food, I find it best not to restrict myself from having foods I really enjoy. Some foods I don’t really love (aka gravy), so I choose not to eat them. Foods that I love that are associated with specific holidays such as pumpkin pie always find there way onto my holiday plate. I also try to fill up on healthy foods like vegetables first. To get you thinking about your food choices, consider this photo below and the miles you’d have to run after eating this meal. The point is to eat what you really enjoy and not what you don’t.
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This year I’m balancing my extra turkey day treats with a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. What a great way to mix in physical activity along with your regular traditions. I try to make sure I consistently workout during the holidays as I know I will be indulging in extra calories. By sticking to a workout plan and eating healthy meals when not enjoying treats of the season, I don’t feel guilty having some extra calories at specific times during the holidays. I also don’t finish the holidays feeling like I’ve got an eternity of working out to do to lose the unwanted pounds gained.

If you need some extra running motivation, take a look at Runner’s World Holiday Running Streak Challenge. The goal is to run a mile every day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. That’s really only 10 minutes a day (tips to be successful)!

One last holiday motivation challenge is the Elf for Health Challenge (outlined below) that addresses many overall healthy choices and lifestyle changes.

How do you balance food, fun, and exercise during the holiday season? Which of these challenges would you be most likely to tackle? Choose one-you CAN!

Happy Monday!

{Motivation Monday-Winter Running/What to Wear}

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With the weather officially cool in the midwest it is important to dress the part else you may not actually get out the door or last very long once you are out there. Getting out the door is the hardest part. I always tell myself-Go at least a mile. If you want to come back after that, then do so. I’ve never came back yet.

I know from numerous outdoor runs throughout the winter that dressing appropriately helps ensure you have a successful and comfortable run. I love running outside throughout the winter although I was not always big on this. Years ago I didn’t dress appropriately and therefore never went more than a few miles outdoors in the winter. Miles on the treadmill and around an indoor 2OO meter track only hold a person’s interest for so long. After training for my first marathon mostly on a treadmill for the first two months I knew I couldn’t keep doing that forever. It was then that I began to reevaluate winter running outdoors. If I ever wanted to run more than five miles outside, then I’d have to change my attire.
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Modern technology in running attire has made it possible to wear minimal layers and still stay warm. The first mile is always a warming up time and one should expect to be chilled to cold. Once the body warms up though you will be thankful for the lighter layers not holding you down and causing you to get cold from sweat. So how do I dress for winter weather…well, it is extremely individual. As I’ve gotten more experienced as a runner, I’ve found I need fewer layers to stay warm. I find no matter how often I run outdoors in races versus long slower runs, etc I still struggle with exactly what to wear on a run, but I follow these general guidelines for dress:

55 or above=shorts (either Nike Tempo or Lululemon Speed Short) or running skirt (love C9 from Target) and a t-shirt or tank top

45-55=capris (love Nike and love,love Lululemon), t-shirt, and a lightweight long sleeve shirt (love Run Swiftly-Lululemon) that may or may not stay on. Arm warmers are great!

40-45=capris, t-shirt, and a medium weight long sleeve shirt

35-40=pants or running tights (Road Runner Sports has awesome tights), t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and a headband

25-35=running tights, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and light jacket OR
t-shirt and heavy/warm jacket or shirt, hat and gloves

15-25=thermal/thicker running tights (love my Nike thermal tights), t-shirt, thermal/thicker long sleeve shirt, jacket (love Lulu again), hat, and gloves

-15-15=thin running tights with running pants over top, t-shirt, thermal long sleeve, jacket, hat, and gloves/mittens

If it is much below zero, I generally run inside or don’t run. A great website I’ve used to decide how to dress is from Runner’s World-What to Wear.
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Last year I trained for the Rock n’ Roll Arizona Marathon throughout the Wisconsin winter doing all my runs outside except for my speed work sessions. It is impossible to run fast on slippery and snowy roads and sidewalks, so I brought that workout to the gym on a treadmill. All of my other runs were done outside. My first 20 miler came two days after we got 20 inches of snow and had school cancelled for two days in a row. I still went out dressed appropriately, ran at a slower pace, and put one foot in front of the other. The wipeout that had me sliding on my belly only deterred me for a couple of blocks. Had I worn my Yaktraxs that wouldn’t have happened.
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This year I will be wearing my Yaktraxs fo show. My ankle is still recovering. I only wear heels a few times a week. When I wear them I can feel my ankle hurting although it is not a hurt hurting. It still swells after days on my feet, heel wearing, or after long runs. I am just so grateful it doesn’t really bother me while running.

During the winter months don’t be afraid or frustrated that your pace is slower. Running on snow and ice is similar to running on a beach; your muscles work much harder to maintain your balance. Running a slower pace on a harder terrain can still mean faster on an easier terrain. Take my PR in Arizona as proof. Those of you who live in Cali or elsewhere without snow, ice, and sleet-well just be glad. I will hate you all in February.
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Better yet, let winter be your maintenance miles. Stay in shape and enjoy the holiday treats without the guilt. Run to holiday tunes (a future post coming on that) and the holiday lights. Run for fun. Find a turkey trot or jingle bell run to motivate you.

When dressed appropriately you can run all winter long and enjoy it.

Happy Monday!

{Motivation Monday}

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Today is Veterans Day. The reason you get to run today is because of selfless and brave acts of others. Yesterday I was reminded of some of those acts and gained a new appreciation for what soldiers and their families go through.

Ryan and I visited the National World War I Museum in Kansas City on our way home from the Pilgrim Pacer Marathon. What a perfect way to remember veterans who gave so much so that we may have so much. I learned an infinite amount of information while visiting the museum including:
-over 29,000,000 million people in the world lost their lives as a result of WWI
-trenches were a huge part of this war and each country had a very different approach to building and maintaining them; this lead to success or death
-living conditions in the trenches were unimaginable
-a pilot’s life expectancy once he began flying in the war was only 3 weeks. That was not a typo 3 WEEKS! Imagine being that pilot, or being a pilot’s wife, mother, sister, son or daughter. Talk about sacrifice.
-it took the help of not just veterans, but their wives, children, communities, etc to help fight this war.

I could continue, but I will share some photos I took to help you see what the museum included. If you are ever in Kansas City, check it out. Why is this museum in Kansas City? Well, a group had the idea in 1919 after the war ended and in 10 days the city of Kansas City had fundraised 2.5 million dollars to build the museum. Kansas City residents also voted for sales tax to update and improve the museum in the 1990’s. Way to go KC!

You can go to the top of the tower and see views of Kansas City.

You can go to the top of the tower and see views of Kansas City.

Tickets were only $14 per person. Very reasonable for what you get to see.

Tickets were only $14 per person. Very reasonable for what you get to see.

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This photo reminded me of reading the poem “In Flanders Fields” by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. The poem was written about World War I. I read the peom when I was in elementary school for a Memorial Day service of the American Legion. My grandpa is a Korean War veteran and my birthday is on Memorial Day, so I was a fitting choice to read that day.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

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inside a trench

inside a trench

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View from top of tower.

View from top of tower.

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Be motivated to run this week because you can. Run because you live in a safe and free country that lets you. And before you run-thank a veteran and their family.

Thank you to all veterans and your families. Thank you to my stepdad, grandpa, and friends who have served. I am forever grateful for your service.

Make time to honor veterans in some way today. Happy Veterans Day!

{Motivation Monday-It feels like the first time…}

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Two weekends ago when running the Glow in the Deke 5k with my best friend I got to experience the race from a perspective I haven’t been in a while…for the first time. My friend ran her first 5k without stopping to walk or take a break. She was someone who had been a non-runner just months before. I’m talking someone who always said she HATED running. I was sooo proud of her!

While running with her I reminisced over what it felt like to run two miles and three miles for the first time. It reminded me of what it felt like to run when a couple miles was the most I’d ever ran, and when I finished my first half marathon, and 16 miler, and 20 miler, and marathon. And guess what? The feeling is the same no matter how many miles you run. Anytime you run a distance you haven’t before, the pride you feel when you hit stop or cross that finish line are the same. You feel so accomplished, prideful, emotional, excited, and tired.
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“At mile 20, I thought I was dead. At mile 22, I wished I was dead. At mile 24, I knew I was dead. At mile 26.2, I realized I had become too tough to kill.”

My friend shared how she felt emotional as she came around that last corner of the track thinking about how she was finishing a distance she had worked hard to complete. I didn’t tell her, but those emotions are not just something she experienced. Stand at the finish line of most races and you see it in people’s faces and body language-emotions. I once read somewhere that a marathon finish line is a melting pot of emotions, and I couldn’t agree more.

Some people are running for others who can’t, in memory of a significant person in their life, to overcome, to succeed, to move on, to start new, to test their limits, and for reasons we can’t begin to understand. Running races and finishing new distances makes you feel real and raw in a different way hence the wide range of emotions. Take two minutes of your day and check out the raw emotions this amazing photographer caught at the finish of this year’s Twin Cities Marathon earlier in October. I promise it is worth it; I teared up and couldn’t stop smiling at the same time!

Many a times I’ve fought back tears when crossing the finish line whether it is a new distance, an especially challenging race, or being so overcome with joy and pride at something I worked so hard for. Many times these emotions are strongest the first time and we forget the feeling of being a new runner. It was great to be reminded of those challenging days when you never knew how a run would feel or if you would survive it.
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I loved being around other runners who seemed to be new to running, too. I was overcome with pride for them. Seeing others do something I love and watching them experience it in a positive way makes me so excited. While most of us wouldn’t want to go back to the very first time we ran (or a first time at a distance), this week run for the first time. Run a new distance, a new route, with a new friend, or at a new time. Take a run around a route where you first began to run and reminisce of over those first miles where you became a runner one step at a time. Take those first steps or celebrate how far you’ve come!
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“The person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race.”

Happy Monday!

{Motivation Monday}

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This past weekend I was reminded of just how precious life is. One of my husband’s former students was in a terrible accident last week and passed away this past weekend. While I never actually met this young person, I remember my husband talking about him and what a wonderful person he was years earlier when in the middle of a sports season and being his coach.

He mentioned the wonderful qualities he possessed such as being respectful, hard working, a leader, and one of his favorite young people to coach. If you work with young people you know what I mean; he was something special. In the past few years I’ve only heard the same things about his siblings and family. It was with a heavy heart that we heard he did not make it in the wee hours of Sunday.

My husband and I found ourselves wide awake after that phone call. Both of us so sad for this young man’s family and fiance. We discussed the injustice of bad things happening to good people. My husband talked about the young man fondly. For the past few days we’ve been back and forth to the tragic accident and how quickly life can change.

In the blink of an eye your life can change forever. This week and in the future enjoy every moment with your loved ones. Give them that extra hug. Linger a bit longer in your goodbye kiss. Put work away and enjoy each other. Run because you can. Explore and enjoy the fresh air; feel the breeze on your face and in your hair. Be thankful and gracious for all our days are numbered-we just don’t know in what way.

My thoughts and prayers go out to this family. May they find strength in the coming days. The world is short a wonderful person; may we learn from #32’s impact.