Blubber To Runner

Mission accomplished.

That theme is ‘Doubt’… and a lot of people seem to have it these days.

I’m getting a lot of variations of it:

“I don’t think I can do…”

“I’m gonna wait until I do…”

“I’m not really sure I can handle…”

“I’m not positive I can…”

So, because of that, I want to address one of the other ‘mantras’ I have: 

To achieve anything… you have to have a plan in place to do so.  I don’t care if it’s getting Epic gear on World Of Warcraft (for you non-gamers, that’s not just ‘cool’ gear… that’s an actual level of gear you can obtain), getting an ‘A’ on an exam, or running your first 18-mile race.  You have to have a plan in place.  

But that’s really the easy part. 

Figuring out HOW you’re gonna do something requires minimal effort.  The effort comes in when you actually EXECUTE the plan.  THIS is when it starts to get tough.  But you need to remember that you put together this plan to achieve your goal, so you need to trust that plan through to its full execution in order to reach the finish line – literally or metaphorically speaking.

You need to:

Let me talk about my running shoes.  You’ve heard me mention them several times before – Vibram Five Fingers.  They are 100% minimalist running shoes.  No padding in them… in layman’s terms they are essentially Aqua Socks w/ treads on them.  Now, you don’t just decide “Hey, I’m gonna run barefoot!” and go out and run 5 miles because that is what your half-marathon training plan says.  What do you do?  

*say it with me*

So I researched.  I learned the exercises I needed to do every day.  I learned the different muscle groups this would now work that I needed to make sure I stretched properly.  I learned about 1 mile weekly increases in my runs – and carrying my regular shoes to switch into when I was on a run that was longer than my minimalist transition dictates. I read the book on them – literally – and educated myself about the good and bad regarding making this transition and deciding if it was where I wanted to take my running. So I picked a day (2 days after my half-marathon) and started the transition.

Now pay attention, because HERE is where trusting the process comes in.

Did I feel like I could run farther than 2 miles in those shoes in week 1?  ABSOLUTELY.

Did I feel like I could run more than 3 days/ week in those shoes in week 1? OF COURSE.

Did I feel a little bit of pain in some areas I wasn’t quite used to after week 2?  UHHH… YEAH.

But I trusted the process, knowing all along that THIS is the way to do this right if it’s what I really wanted to do.  Not that there’s a ribbon-cutting ceremony for it or anything but, I am a 100% transitioned minimalist runner at this point.  I can easily run a half-marathon in those shoes now and, unless a freak injury occurs, I will never go back to running in any other style of shoe.

I didn’t go over 2 miles that first week… I didn’t do more than 3 days that week… and I knew the pain I was feeling wasn’t bad, it was just part of the transition.  I trusted the process and, in the end, I achieved my goal of becoming a minimalist runner.  I did this because the goal was to transition to these shoes, NOT to do my half-marathon training plan in them from Day 1.  Can I run more than 2 miles?  Yes.  But that wasn’t the point of what I was doing.  The point was the transition, so I trusted that process… and it worked.

So… when you’re doing the Couch to 5K plan and, after week 2, can’t figure out how you’re gonna run more than 30 seconds straight by the end – TRUST THE PROCESS.  Or… if you’re debating about doing a run – a run that you introduced me to by saying it was always your dream to run it – because you can’t do 3 miles straight yet – TRUST THE PROCESS. 

No matter WHAT you are doing – if you have the plan in place… all you need to do is see it through and…

*say it with me*

_ _ _ _ _   _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _   (you fill in the blanks)  🙂

No, I’m not begging some chick to hang out w/ me so I’m not the 5th wheel at a social outing I need to attend.  This is the answer to a very simple question – and the question I probably get asked more than any other:

“How do you do it… how do you stay motivated?”

Losing weight and getting in shape is not easy… we all know that if it was we’d be a world of David and Victoria Beckhams just hanging out and being skinny with 0% body fat.  It’s tough, and sometimes you really need to dig deep to remind yourself just how tough it is.

When I first started this back in 2010, I did really well for a while – then fell flat on my face b/c I got complacent… which ultimately resulted in me being in even WORSE shape than I was to begin with.  I was lost, I didn’t know what to do and I was searching for someone to tell me something – ANYTHING – that would sink in and convince me to get back on the horse again.  And I found it:

‘Just show up.’

Take a second and say those 3 words, and then think about anything and everything you do that’s important to you.  The 1 constant that ALWAYS exists with those situations is simple – you show up.  Whether it’s simply ‘appointment TV’, your job, the bar after work, time with your significant other.  Now, there is not ‘one thing’ that’s more important than anything else – it can really be anything – but it’s simply what’s important to you.  And not just physically… you’re emotionally present in the moment as well.  You’re invested.  Nothing else matters after that point, but you were able to push anything and everything out of the way and ‘just show up’ to be where you wanted to be when you wanted to be there.

There’s a lot of ways to look at that phrase but, for blog purposes, I’m strictly looking at it from my perspective regarding this experience:

*  PHYSICALLY – No on ever regrets doing workout during or after they’ve done it.  Most people regret skipping a workout if they had one scheduled and bailed on it.  It’s really that simple.

*  MENTALLY – Know that, deep down, the feeling of not wanting to go will go away once you’re at the gym/ park/ track

*  RESPECTFULLY – Plain and simple: You commit to it, commit to it. Unless something completely uncontrollable happens (I mean that literally too), be where you’re supposed to be when you supposed to be there.  This may or may not apply here, but it’s a pet peeve of mine so I included it.

The biggest problem people tell me they have when it comes to (not) working out is time – “I just don’t have time to work out for 30 minutes every day.”  Well, I hate to break it to you… you do.  The REAL problem is that you don’t WANT to have time to do it yet, regardless of the words coming outta your mouth.  Just like anything else, if you want it bad enough you will MAKE the time to do it.

In my opinion, the easiest way and most consistent way to get it in is, by far, before you normally wake up – ESPECIALLY this time of year.  Just wake up 45 minutes earlier – I KNOW… “Blashphemy!”  But again… if you want it bad enough, you make the time.  If this means you go to bed earlier, which means missing a show you like or not going to that extended Happy Hour then so be it.  This will show you what’s more important in your life at this point – getting fit, watching Dance Moms or Vodka.  All you really have to do is just change your mentality to one that’s accepting of the facts – you are super happy you’re waking up at 5 instead of 6 so you can throw on your sneakers and knock out a 30 minute walk.  BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.  There are obviously other ways (after school/ work, lunch breaks, before bed, etc.) but from a consistency standpoint I feel waking up earlier gives you the most control and ability to manage the time needed to get the work out in.

I’m gonna put this out there – if you think you have a reason of why you don’t have the time to work out… I wanna hear it.  I can guarantee you that it’s not a reason… just an excuse.  I know working moms w/ 3 kids under 6 years old that run marathons.  I know dudes working 12 hour shifts with 2 hour commutes each way to work that list ‘bodybuilding’ as a hobby.  I’m not criticizing how busy you might actually be – quite the contrary actually – I’m just trying to show you that you CAN make the time if getting in shape is really important to you.

And you can do it if you:

(Oh, yeah… totally put it on a T-shirt. Click HERE if you want one too!)

** PS: I’m officially ON FACEBOOK!  Well… the blog is I mean.  I made a fan page so it’s easier for me to share stuff and not annoy people I’m friends with that aren’t interested in the blog with constant posts about it.  This way, if you choose to ‘Like’ the page, you’re asking to be annoyed!  🙂  So anyway, give the page a like and say ‘Hello!’… don’t be afraid, I won’t bite.  Unlike some people I know. **