Sunday, January 27, 2013

This Is The Life

Why did you get out and run today? Was it to show your kids the importance of a healthy lifestyle? Were you trying to erase a few extra holiday pounds? Are you trying to achieve a goal that everyone said was impossible? We all have our motivations for running and continuing our lifestyle, and I don't known if there are any truly bad ones, as long as you aren't going overboard!

I got some great responses to people about why they do what they do, and I am just so impressed with the resolve of my fellow runners/athletes. Let me be the first to tell you, you are amazing, strong, and maybe a little insane. Just a little.

One inspiring and influential runner, Holly, over at Run With Holly, was kind enough to share her motivations. Holly told me that fitness has been a gradual change for her over a long period of time. "I grew up in a family that valued activity, although not necessarily formalized fitness. I had my fair share of failed athletic pursuits until I settled on swimming in my teens."

Each phase of Holly's life brought a new motivation for her to maintain her lifestyle. "I went to college, and wanted a way to avoid the "Freshman 15" that the cafeteria threatened to provide. I was busy, and the treadmill offered the highest calorie burn for 30 minutes of exercise. I ran exclusively on the treadmill during my entire freshman year. That summer, my younger sister (a cross-country runner) finally persuaded me to run outdoors with her, and bingo - I was hooked. I ran 3-4 miles, 3-4 days/week in college."

Being a relatively new runner, I am intrigued by those who have been doing this for extended periods of time, and seeing how they continue to love this little sport of ours. It is one thing to get hooked, like Holly, but it is quite another to stay that way! Holly continued her journey well beyond college: "I moved to Rochester, NY - and got hooked up with a running community there. I trained for my first half-marathon, became a hard-core trail runner, trained for a marathon, became a coach, and have done all sorts of running things since. Gradually, 40-50+ miles weeks became my "norm", and I was heading out for full-day trail running excursions with my trail buddies. I swear, the whole thing just crept up on me, I swear! ... So I "wasn't always this way", nor did I have a single "epiphany moment". It just happened.... And now, it's such an intertwined part of my life that I don't think I could extricate the two if I wanted to."

Maybe the key to true motivation is the true integration of running into our lives (in a balanced way, of course). If running is intertwined into who we are, we have no choice but to do it and love it. Personally, I am not to that point yet, but I wish I was, and I look forward to the day where running is simply a part of who I am. Unfortunately, this also means avoiding running becoming "simple" and not exciting anymore. Like in Born To Run, running has to be fun, or it is just a chore, and you will just end up injuring yourself.

Personally, I am just trying to find my groove again. I have had periods of activity in my life, like swimming in high school, and training to try out for the crew team in college. For whatever reason, this just never stuck! I am now trying to fully integrate running and fitness into my life, and I think the passion I have for it is the missing link I didn't have before. Time will tell, but I think I turned a corner somewhere.

As for the rest of you, no two journeys are the same. Some come from years of experience, others are just starting out, like me. Either way, if you love the act of running, or you love crossfit, or you love barre, do whatever it takes to hold on to that feeling. When you are having trouble getting motivated, just remember what made you love it in the first place.

Marathon Training Week 2:

Today I wrapped up week 2 of training with a 7.1 mile run. On three other days this week, I put up 4 miles, with a few miles of walking here or there. I am actually writing this update while walking a few cool down miles on the treadmill (I also wanted a few more miles for the Chilly Challenge). My legs feel good, though I was a little stiff yesterday. I will take a rest day tomorrow.

End Of The Chilly Challenge:

I am sad, but the challenge is ending in a few days. I have met a lot of great runners and fellow bloggers along the way, but now I won't know what to do with myself; if anyone has any similar things going on in February, let me know.

Page Update:

Finally, I wanted to mention that I have begun to update my diet page. There isn't much to it, but I go into a bit of detail into foods that are working for me these days. Go ahead and hit that up, especially if you are new to my blog.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

16 comments:

  1. Whoa! A little surprising to click over here this morning and see my story here - awesome, but unexpected! Thanks! I think that I tend to forget how motivating the "getting started" stories can be, especially for new(er) runners. "How did you start?" is, actually, one of the most common questions I get from my new runners.

    It's totally true that some things just don't "stick" - I think that activities we do as students are especially tied to a certain time, place, and community - and easily fall away when those things are gone. Integrating the fitness habit into an adult life will happen, and stick - when you find the right mix of the right activities, with just enough "new" to keep things fresh and exciting, for you. Keep working on it - you'll get there! And the blogging community is such a great place to find motivation & support! :)

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    1. I was happy to share your story! You spent the time to answer questions, and you are very interesting! I just love learning about people; it comes with being a teacher! I am just lucky to have already met so many people in the running community.

      I think I enjoy fitness and running more and more every day. I love the benefits that it provides, and I love looking back at what I used to be. I think a total integration is not far off!

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  2. Personally I run because I like it :) Enjoying something is probably the best motivation there is ^^

    You can always start something like the Chilly Challenge ;) There should be a lot of people starting to train for those May races ^^

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    1. I would be happy to co-sponsor something, but I don't have nearly the following of Amy! Maybe some day!

      Oh, the love of running is so powerful! You have to love it to get through the winter!

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  3. Running has been intertwined into my life at different points and then sometimes not. I personally have had to learn that I need to find other ways to cope with stress besides running because I kind of bottomed out the first time I quit running (illness, injury, illness, injury). I'm still not good at this and the low low mileage I have going on now is making me nuts! I need more of that balance you speak of :) Headed to check out your diet page!

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    1. Don't be too shocked by the minimal knowledge I have presented on that page so far. Like the rest of my fitness journey, diet is still a work in progress. My blog is more of a running commentary into my growth.

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  4. OK, I'm going to styand out as the non-runner here!
    I WANT to run to be healthy, fit and *hmm* skinny!
    Checking out your diet page as well!

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    1. Like I said, I see nothing wrong with that as long as you are motivated! For many, running may be cross training for something they are much more passionate about (yoga, crossfit, Zumba). Besides, I respect women who take pride in their appearance because it does take a lot of work for most people. Just to to Wal-mart and you will see that not everyone had our drive!

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  5. I started running because it was a way to be active outside -- beyond just going to the gym. When my husband started running more and did his first race, it seemed like so much fun! I decided I could do that!!

    Like you said, I think you have to find the sport/activity that you really love doing.. whether it is running, swimming, crew, cycling, tennis. There are SO many things you can do but it is hard to stick with it if you don't have fun doing it.

    Great job on Marathon training week 2!

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    1. I had a similar experience after seeing race photos of friends on Facebook. That wasn't my only motivation, but I was jealous and it looked fun. Now I am the crazy one because most of those people aren't avid runners anymore.

      Thanks for the support! I am actually enjoying training more than I anticipated.

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  6. I had a similar experience after seeing race photos of friends on Facebook. That wasn't my only motivation, but I was jealous and it looked fun. Now I am the crazy one because most of those people aren't avid runners anymore.

    Thanks for the support! I am actually enjoying training more than I anticipated.

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  7. I started running because I had always told myself I couldn't. Now running is so many things... it's fitness, it's head clearing, it's social, it's grounding and almost meditative for me when on trails. Some runner friends and I were just talking about how running is more of a lifestyle for us than a past time or hobby. Racing keeps me motivated, but the trails are what will always keep me coming back for more!

    Nice job with your marathon training! And great post :)

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    1. Thanks! I am attempting to pick up my blogging game (part of my living 100% goal that I need to revisit in a post).

      I need to get into trail running this spring/summer. I had such a blast during tough Mudder just because of the trails and scenery.

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  8. Great post. Diet is too important to overlook. We are trying so hard to set the example early for our family to be active. We love to get outdoors and hope the same for the munchkin.

    I started running because I wanted to OWN something, make it mine. Turns out I was pretty good at it:)

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    1. I know what you feel about owning something. A couple months ago, I am pretty sure before I was brave enough to share my blog, I wrote a post about that whole motivation. I really got into running because it was something that I could just go out and do, and that I got out of it exactly what I put in. There aren't a lot of things in life like that. When I put my heart and soul into my teaching, I don't get that back in a clear way; running is shows you very vivid results.

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    2. And with that, sir, you have put your finger on why I love running. (Because research science isn't a "put in/get back" situation, either!)

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