Running – It’s What You Make It

Let’s face it, we all have off days, whether it is bad hair:

Unruly Children:

Or a broken coffee pot:

Yes, I said it.

When I went out for my cup of coffee after my 5 miler this AM I discovered coffee all over the counter and a chip in the pot.

Yikes!

First of all, do  you know how expensive it is to replace the glass? You may as well buy a whole new machine,which is, of course, what I now have to do.

Rather than panic and let this ruin my day (I do love my coffee and it IS a tragedy when I can’t have it right away!), I stuck a mug under the drip and ran two cups. It took about ten minutes to complete but hey, I had a nice steaming warm cup of coffee.

This is the thing: Life is what we make it, and so is running.

If you want to cry over spilled coffee, you’re going to expend mucho energy tantruming in the kitchen. So much so that eventually the family will wake up and find you crumpled on the floor pulling out your hair, crying about how unfair life is.

And as my grandma used to say, “Who in the hell told you life was going to be fair? ”

Same goes with running.

If you have a bad one, you can pout about the bad run or you can get back out there and have a good one the very next day.

Yesterday’s run was tough. Legs were lead, I was tired, and I didn’t enjoy it until I worked on sprinting at the end.

Today’s run: So much better. 5 miler, negative splits. It was  a nice, warmer morning, stars were out quite bright, and I saw about 6 deer, four of them babies!, when I rounded my first corner. They were standing in the road watching me.

When the run got a little tough I pulled out my headphones and listened to music.

My theory (for what it is worth!):

We only have so much time in the day. If we spend it being angry about the way things are going poorly, we won’t have time to enjoy the things that are going well.

Same with working out.

If you are having negative thoughts during a workout, focus on the positives.

Focus on the way your muscles feel as they are pushing your body forward (quite phenomenal, really, that the human body can run 26.2 plus miles and not collapse!)

Think about the way the neighbor’s dryer smells as it finishes that load of clothes.

Think about that steaming cup of coffee you’ll have in a bit (you hope!)

Think about the sunrise or sunset.

Think about how strong you are.You are STRONG. If you weren’t you wouldn’t be working out, period!

Focusing on the positive, as we know, changes our entire brain patterns. We can become happy if we think happy.

Same goes for the negative. And it is easy to get caught up into negativity if you allow yourself to do so. (Come on, everyone knows the complainer! This person grumbles about EVERYTHING, and never seems to be satisfied. Do you want that to be you?!)

If you are thinking negatively during your workout (I hate this, my legs hurt, my head hurts, why am I doing this, I’ll never make another two miles, I could still be in bed), chances are you’ll :

• stop doing what you are doing for the day
• do it more poorly than if you were thinking positively
• quit the entire workout routine you’ve worked so hard to build up
• not gain the mental benefits that a great workout session can provide

Next time you are thinking negatively about your workout sessions, stop!

Focus on one positive aspect of your routine. (My ass is gonna look great in a bikini next summer!)

Focus on one part of your body that feels great right now. (Legs are feeling strong despite my mental attitude).

Focus on one thing outside of yourself. (The sunrise is gorgeous this morning).

Smile.

Continue on.

Happy running, everyone!