Monday, June 18, 2012

Where Is My Strong??



It is almost impossible for me to get up and train when I am away from home. I don't know why either.

This weekend was Father's Day and I traveled to see my dad and then to see my father in law. Friday night we stayed at Dad's house because it is basically halfway between our house and the final destination. It works out really well for us.  My folks live in the city that I went to college in, where there is an awesome running trail that I have ran on probably 100 times when I lived there, maybe more like 500 times! (I ran a lot during college) This trail is less than a half mile from my parents house. So there is no excuse!



I always pack my running gear in my backpack. I always prepare to go running. And that is where it stops for me, in the planning stages.

It would be so easy for me to get up early and go hit that trail. I could easily get 4.5 miles in and then I could head out of the neighborhood and run a long hill for a great hill workout, which I always tell myself I am going to do. I have it mapped out in my head, but for some reason, all I want to do is lounge in  bed and then get up and eat breakfast with everyone. Now, I was tired after driving to their house and eating late, so I knew an evening run was out of the question, but there is nothing stopping me from getting my butt out of bed and hitting the run before everyone else got up. My dad likes to joke that he waited for me and waited for me and finally decided to go ahead and get his run done, "sorry I missed ya son!"

It is so easy for me to make a plan at my house and stick to it. I mean I will miss an occasional workout if I am not feeling good or still sore, I mean I listen to my body, but I hardly ever just blow something off. So it really bums me out that I chose not to get up. And no, I am not making excuses either. Sitting here thinking about why I didn't get up, I realized that I never pack my alarm clock when I go out of town to visit family, but yet I always pack it when I go to a race. (I do not trust hotel alarm clocks) I think I get into a mindset of "its like a mini vacation" where I can relax and let mom and dad take care of me. I know I am not as strict on my diet when I am away from home either. So maybe I need a new mindset when I am away from home. I need to become strong, mentally. I always tell people that running is as much mental as it physical.



One thing I can tell you though, I can;t wait to get back to training after being off for a few days. I am heading out for vacation soon, but I guarantee you I will be swimming and running on the beach for sure, that is one of my favorite times and I will blog about it soon. 

Tell me if you also find it hard to train when you are away from home, I am interested to know! Thanks for reading!!!

3 comments:

  1. Maybe it is because it is a break in your routine or because you really need a break. You do keep getting faster and more consistent when you are home so I wouldn't sweat it.

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  2. I second with Mike, our bodies are weird that way

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  3. I agree with the above as well.....sometimes I think we, as athletes (I can't even believe I lumped myself in there ;P) forget that our bodies need rest and that skipping a workout, or two or more isn't necessarily losing motivation or slacking - more often than not it's because we need a break!

    I've gotten very skilled at not beating myself up when I skip a workout or cut it short....I know I'm getting back out there, so it's all good :)

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