How To Get Your MOJO Back???

I don't know about you, but I have a daily battle with motivation. The motivation to get up from a nice, warm, comfortable bed to going out into the cold, dark morning and running or swimming. Or maybe it is the motivation to hop on the trainer at night, watch a TV show, but you fall victim to that nice comfortable bed...again.

Well if you read this blog, then you know I battle motivation constantly. Ever since I did Ironman (have I told you about that?) things have been different. I still that the desire, but not the "physical want to" like before, so how do I motivate myself? Let me share...

Blog About it!  Nothing motivates me more than to write on this blog about my workouts. This entire blog was designed to be an accountability piece for me long before I published it and thought anyone would read it. After writing a good blog piece, many time I realize that everything I say is keeping from getting out there is just an excuse (and that I can be a weenie sometimes), so talking it out on here will motivate me to get out there.

Shaving!!

I know, self explanatory right?

Yes, the unspoken part of triathlons. Sometimes...ok, a lot of times I will go ahead and shave to get me back in the right track of mind. (I don't think I have ever blogged about shaving before). Something about it makes me feel like an athlete, makes me feel fast and awesome. I will cut my hair short, shave my legs and body and then I am ready. Does it make me faster? Heck no, but I feeeeellll faster and that is the important thing!

and finally...

New Gear!

Who doesn't like new stuff? New shoes, new running shorts, new watch, anything, it doesn't matter! Luckily, I had a Sports Academy gift-card from Christmas and I went and got new compression sleeves and new goggles!  I love swimming in new goggles! I like to go out and purchase motivation when I can. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it has to be something related to the sport.

So those are my "get out of a funk" tips. Tell me yours, what do you do to get yourself going again??

Rollercoaster...Up Down Up Down

So January is over, for all intensive purposes (my wife loves when I say that) and I am still plugging along with my workouts like a elephant going through a mudhole. I am not sure what my deal is but I can't seem to stay motivated. I have the "want to" in my mind, but physically I am sucking.

I want to know this answer...

As I wrote earlier, me and my bride are both signed up for  the Memphis Runner's Track Club Winter Cross Country Series. So far we have completed the 3K and the 5k trail runs. The 3K was a very cold day and was fun. It really felt good to get outside and run instead of being on the dreadmill. It was also the first time my wife had done a trail run, so that was cool. Two weeks after the 3K, we did the 5K. It was the muddiest, sloppiest run I have done in awhile. It was also the slowest 5K EVA! but we had fun.

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The next days though, no running, no biking, no swimming, just eat, eat and eat!

I swear I am the heaviest I have been in years and I do not like it, but I am not doing much about it except writing it on my blog (much to often too) I do not know why I can't get focused. I know my running sucks cause my knees hurt when I run (because I am heavier than I have ever been). I know I should stop drinking Dr. Peppers (like the one I am drinking now), I know I need to get a plan and stick to it instead of changing it every time it gets tough. I do what I don't want to do (Biblical reference, know it?), and that is why I am frustrated.

I do not feel like myself.

I know what to do and what not to do, but I can't seem to get a grasp on either one. I feel like I am on a rollercoaster and this is new for me, and I don't like it.

One reason I started this blog was to keep me motivated and accountable. Sometimes it is just a place to vent and sometimes it is a place to call myself out. A lot of times when I am writing a post, it gets me fired up (you'd think I would write more huh?), so my posts will be all over the map, so for the one or two of you reading, thanks, I appreciate it. I know I will someday get out of my pity party, but for now, you get what I am thinking about!

Thanks, Happy January!

P.S. By my nest post, I hope to have enough runs in to do a review on my Hokas, or that's my goal!

No Excuses Here.

I am really getting sick of blogging about lack of motivation and piling the excuses on, so hopefully this post will be different. I have decided to give myself a grade over the first 2 months of 2014. It is not going to be pretty either. I am going to break it down into 5 areas. 1. Strength 2. Rest 3. Swimming 4. Biking 5. Diet  and 6. Running. So here we go...

1. Strength- A

• Normally I do not do strength workouts except for maybe some crunches, but this year I signed up to workout with a trainer, and I have been for the last 5 weeks. The workouts have been tough and more focused on balance, core and triathlon related exercises, so I have loved it. I have loved it so much that I am looking at doing an additional 7 weeks! The only downside that I can see is that I am not dropping weight like I hoped. I think I am adding muscle tough and my grades on the other categories will have something to do with the weight.

2. Rest- A

• Nailing it! I think I have been in bed before 10 more this year than ever before. I have enjoyed the Saturdays where I do not have to get up at 6 to ride or run. It has been great!

3. Swimming- B

• It really has not taken me long to get back into the swing of things. 2,000 yards is pretty easy right now and my pace is about where I want it. I know I could focus on my swim and drop my pace down even more, but I am solid, and can come out of the water not winded.

4.Biking- B

• Today was the first day I got my bike out on the road and I loved it, all other times have been on the trainer/drainer. My longest ride has only been 18 miles, but again, I have felt good afterwards. I finally removed all the Redman stickers off my bike today, which was kind of sad in a weird kind of way. It felt great hitting 26 mph on the road though, for real!

5. Diet- C

• Shocker huh? I went on a 3 week kick without Cokes awhile back, but other than that, I have not really focused on my diet. I think I eat smart, but I know I can eat better. Really not a whole lot to say, other than I just haven't been hitting it coach.

6. Running-F

• My relationship with running is so bad right now that I do not even want to type about it! The treadmill sucks. The weather sucks. I am not sure what I need, but it just does not interest me at all. Two of my good friends are running their first marathon this month, and while I love to talk shop with them about it, I can't get the excitement to transfer over to me. So I am looking for answers, or suggestions. I am thinking of ditching my training plan (that I haven't really been following) and making this next week a run focus week. The next race (which I have yet to sign up for) is an Olympic, so it is only a 6 mile run, so I have plenty of time to prepare for it right?

Yeah, I Hear Voices, Don't You?

At any time when I am talking about my upcoming Ironman (which I have found that I can work into any conversation, but that is another post) I am usually asked "How long is it going to take you?" Normally, I would have my time figured out, broken down and over analyzed to a T.

A good friend of mine (His name is Ted) opened my eyes to this nonsense. Ted is a badass when it comes to endurance sports, and is actually the one guy that got interested in this little adventure many years ago. Anyways, I bug Ted a lot with my questions and my training plans, and Ted ALWAYS gives me an honest frank, blunt answer. We recently had one of those conversations.

See, I started listening to those voices in my head that always pop up during a recovery phase. The voices that say stuff like "a 2.7 mile run??  why bother with that, you need more miles fella!"  (I guess my voices are Irish?) Then I get all, "I can't do this" "it's too far" and "there is no way I can finish this mileage"!! And that is when I usually text Ted for my quarterly kick in the pants.

Ted quickly tells me to shut up and stop over analyzing it. Stop over training and remember that I am not making my living as a pro triathlete and I should stop obsessing about it. Remember to keep it fun and that I could go out and finish it right now, which should be my goal; Just finish it!

The way he breaks down a race for me is simple. Go have a 90 minute swim, keep my HR at a certain level on the bike and be prepared for a run walk marathon. I tried to tell him I think I can do better than a 90 minute swim, more like 80 minutes and his reply was simply Why? Why limit myself that way? And I get what he is saying. I have to manage my race. I am not looking to set records on my first Ironman attempt. I simply want to finish it and have fun.

Let's say I do set a goal for myself of an 80 minute swim, 1 hour 20 minutes for 2.4 miles.  What happens if I miss that goal? Then I am mentally looking at missing a mark already. Do I try and make it up on the bike? You bet I do, cause I know myself! Then my run is shot cause I went to hard on the bike. A 90 minute swim is respectful! And I know I can do better, but let's say I do come out of the water in 80 minutes, then I am feeling good and I know I am having a good race.

So Thank you Ted for always shooting it straight with me and calming me down. I am so looking forward to doing this and calling you afterwards and simply saying, "I did it Brother!"

This triathlon thing is all mental I am finding out. From the workouts to the race, you have to make sure you are mentally ready, and let's be honest, the only goal I need to focus on is 16:59:59!

Or maybe 16:37:09, Yeah that's a good goal!

I Have Work To Do! My Bloomberg Interview!

Here is a great video that should motivate you, and if it doesn't, then there is something wrong with you!

Plus I have this feeling that I am gonna need this in the morning! I will run 4.09 miles tomorrow, as that was the time on the clock when the bomb went off!



I was fortunate enough to do a phone interview with Bloomberg On Tuesday afternoon about the Boston Marathon. It happened due to a post I put on FaceBook, which said that I really wanted to qualify for Boston, and I never had that desire before last night. This will take a lot of work, but if the determination is there, it can be done! Here is the link to the interview! http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-16/bombings-heighten-runners-commitment-to-2014-boston-marathon.html

I Do Not Have A Catchy Title.

I have been feeling pretty lazy lately.

My grandfather passed away early last week and the family made a whirlwind trip to go to the funeral on Thursday and Friday. We drove over 700 miles in 2 days, and that time in the car does not include the hour we spent at a McDonalds in Atkins Arkansas trying to get the mini van swagger wagon started! So we spent about 12+ hours in the car.

My last good solid workout was Thursday before we left. I did a 1000 yd swim in 18 and change then I followed that up with a 4 miles run in under 35 minutes. (Then I sent a trash talking video text to Brad D at Brad's Ironman Journey, because he has been sending me mean video texts, so I had to fire back!!) Then I sat in the car for hours and hours it seemed. Sitting in a car seat for an extended period of time always stiffens my joints up! So I have not been to fired up about doing any training.

Even today at my teams basketball game (I am coaching my son's 12-13 year old team), I was wearing my Ironman Branson 70.3 shirt for some motivation. One of the refs called me over and started asking me questions about doing IM races. Usually that fires me up, but for some reason, I was still unmotivated. And I am down 5 pounds since Christmas! What gives??

Well, I don't drink, but other than that...

I finally told my bride that I know what I need to motivate me.I need to sign up for my Olympic race. I spend the money, then I know I will train harder. That's the way it works isn't it? Is that true motivation? I am not sure that is the thing that would motivate me, the spending of money, but more of a deadline. So, maybe when I am officially entered into the race, it will light a fire under my butt. Or maybe the driving wore on me more than I thought. I do have a 5K trail race tomorrow I am going to run, so maybe that race will get my juices flowing again. I just know it is way to early for me to be thinking of missing workouts already!!!

NOW WAIT JUST A SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:

I wrote this post on Saturday night, and Sunday after church, I did run the Winter Off Road Series 5K at Stanky Creek. A nice little trail run that I hit a new PR!!!!  25:51 on the trails! I am so stoked about that, an 8:20 pace through the woods!!!!  That placed me 15/42 in my Age Group and 95/499 Overall. For the overall series, I am in 14/58 place in my age group! Funny how things work out, but I am over that pity party and ready to train!!!!!

You Have To Watch This...

Well Ia m back at it. Monday was a good day for me training wise. I forced my self to get back into my schedule and it felt great. Monday was a run and a late night trainer ride. Tuesday morning was a swim. I am feeling good. Sometimes, I think we all tend to just have "one of those weeks". Sometimes we just have to ride it out and then come out swinging. My plan was to use the weekend to not think about how I needed to run, but set my eyes on Monday as being my "Back at it" day.

Funny thing was that when I went to the locker room to change into my running gear after work, I pulled my running shorts on and they were inside out, so the underwear part of my shorts were on the outside! I knew that something felt wrong and I am just glad I caught it before I headed out!

So this video...

It is awesome and motivating all at the same time. Enjoy THE RACE!

Motivation vs Want To???

My motivation seems to be playing a weird little joke on me these days. I say this, because even as I am writing this, I am ready to get out and go running. This is the problem.

Let me explain it this way. I have the motivation to get up and go at the times when it would not be possible for me to get up and go. It is when I have the time to get up and go that I am lacking this motivation, and I do not understand it.

I have planned on getting up and going running twice this week alone, only to stay in bed and catch a few more zzz’s. It irritates me later on during the day that I did not get up, yet I seem stuck when I actually have the opportunity. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to the race season. I was actually happy with my performance on the 3K Trail race last week, so I am not as far back as I thought I would be, which I thought would be a huge encouragement right?

I need to find that place…that spot in me that gets me up and running. I want to have a good year and I know I have it in me, but it is just procrastination that is keeping me down! I guess I would call it procrastination..maybe not…I don’t know.

Tips To Help You Pick Your Personal Theme Music!

Notice I did not say workout song, I asked what is your theme song? I think we all should have some theme music, at least to play in our heads. A workout song is just some music that pumps you up and gets you amped for the workout/race. A theme song describes you as a person, it is something that speaks to you, drives you and motivates only you. If you do not have a theme song, then I am going to give you some tips to hopefully help you decide on a song.

1. It has to be something controversial. A good theme song is not a song that everyone will like, but one they will recognize. It can't be about puppy dogs and ice cream. It has to be about a fight or a struggle.


2. It has to be an aggressive song. It's OK for a song to start off slow, as long as it builds into a butt kicking song. A Metallica song would be a good example of this type of song (Enter Sandman)


3. It has to be one you can play in front of family and friends. No one wants a theme song full of cuss words, I mean really, what would that say about you?
   
4. There are certain groups out there that can never be consider "theme music" acceptable. For example; Creed can never be the group providing you with your theme music (Yeah, you know who I am looking at)
5. Rap music is not the only music you can choose from! I like Eminem as much as the next dude, but let's give him a break.
6. It should speak to you. There has to be a message in the song somewhere that means something. Something that drives you to focus on getting the job done, or something that speaks to how you did it.
7. Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood says you are way too old. And I'd laugh at you.
8. It has to be designed for only one person. For example, The A Team theme is a song designed for a team, therefore, you can't use it for a single person.
9. Pink is always acceptable for females to choose from, and some dudes as well.
10. It should strike fear in your competitors. It should make them watch you out of the corner of their eyes because they hear your theme music and know you are in the zone.

So tell me, what is your theme song??

I Don't Care Who You Are...

I do not care who you are, if this does not move you, then I do not know what to say!



I cannot imagine working as hard or as long as an Olympic athlete, being favored to win the Gold, only to have it taken away by something out of your control.

As a father and a son, I can see both sides of this video...