Friday, May 18, 2012

So, When You’re…

Go surf Facebook (or buy stock) or Pinterest and you’ll see it’s chock full of quotes to motivate, excite, inspire and make your life better. You might even see pictures of puppies and kittens and a few phallic symbols.

That’s all fine and good. I am a quote-a-holic myself. But, after reading one too many quotes about believing in yourself and not being afraid of failure, it all starts to blend together. Sometimes what’s needed is a visual. A reminder of what it means to live those words, not just read them.

Watch this video. Just watch it until at least 1:20. You’ll see what I mean.  (Thanks, Howard!)

Now tell me about how you got your period or ran out of time or were too tired to run today. After watching that, I bet you won’t want to admit your excuses.

Getting in shape or running your first race or exercising for even ten minutes a day is not something you will feel like every time you are getting ready to do it. The feelings are not important. The action is important. Getting up and following through is important. Even when you don’t want to.

We might not be track stars, but we can learn to pull ourselves up and keep going. Determination is something we all have, deep down. Yet, it is not something we all use.  To achieve your goals, you have to be determined to the point that you are stubborn. Too stubborn to not succeed.

So when you’re…

  • Tired, know that a run will invigorate you
  • “Blah,” know that a run will give you energy
  • Angry, know that a run will give you perspective
  • Feeling bad about yourself, know that a run will give you confidence
  • Unmotivated, know that a run is the first step
  • Busy, know that a run is worth fitting in, and that people much busier than you are making it happen (yes, I read that quote somewhere)

Try this: Squeeze your hand into a fist as hard as you can. Now squeeze a little harder. See? You always have more to give than you think you do.

How would you complete this sentence? When I don’t feel motivated, I __________________. I’d say, “When I don’t feel motivated, I don’t overthink it. I go before I can talk myself out of it.”

SUAR

38 comments:

  1. Yes! Love this post. Weekend plans threatened to put the kabosh on my 12 mile run scheduled for tomorrow. So, I arranged to go in late at work today, woke up early (before 5!) and got my twelve miles done. Because I'm a newbie and slow, it took two and a half hours...but I did it and didn't walk a step :) And, all that after waking up to my period starting!

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    1. Oh...forgot to complete the sentence you gave us. When I don't feel motivated, I know it is twice as important to get out there and run. I always feel better and have never regretted a run, even the ugly ones.

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  2. That was awesome and just something to watch before going to be tonight. Thank you.

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  3. When I don't feel motivated I put on my workout gear and just get started. Then I think to myself, "why stop now? how about another few minutes?" And before I know it, my workout is over.
    The bottom line is at the end of the day, you either have reasons or results. That's it. Nothing more and nothing less. You either have reasons why something didn't get done or you have the results of your actions. Plain and simple. Now shut up and run!

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  4. Wow! That was amazing. Thanks for sharing, puts my set backs into perspective! When I don't feel motivated I think of how much I like to feel done, and I can't get there until I start. Usually gets me goin' :)

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  5. When I don’t feel motivated, I tell myself to get the blippity bleep out the front door. After the first mile I'm usually game.

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  6. Wow ... that may or may not have given me the chills ... whichever one makes me more manly. Awesome video.

    When I don't feel motivated I think about the times I've been injured and would have kissed an alligator to be able to go run. That usually gets my arse out the door.

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  7. Um...yes, after THAT video, I have absolutely NO excuses. I would love to run if it wasn't dr's orders.

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  8. Holy shit that was incredible. When i dont feel motivated, i think of how much i ate/drink the night before and how i want to still fit in my clothes without feeling like a 10 lb sausage in a 1 lb casing ;)

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  9. I've seen that video many times, it always gives me goosebumps - every time!

    I think sometimes I'm a bit too ambitious and end up doing TOO much. Today I wanted to run, but my calf is giving me a bit of a hard time so I did what I didn't want to do....not run. :(

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  10. OMG totally cried. Love that -- thanks for sharing! When I don't feel motivated I always tell myself that I *always* regret not working out, and I *never* regret doing it. Or I just make myself do it for at least 10 minutes and if I want to stop at that point, I can. (I have never wanted to stop after only 10 minutes.)

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  11. just when i think you've topped yourself on awesome posts, you do it again. damn you for being so awesomesauce!

    when i don't feel motivated, i think about how important health is to me and it usually gets my lazy arse out the door. i also think about the times when i was injured and how pissed i was to not be able to run and that usually motivates me too!

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  12. ...I eat something fattening so I'll feel compelled to run. Ha. Kidding.

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  13. When I don't feel motivated, I think of how I felt after a recent great run, how I always feel better after a run, refreshed, renewed, energized. I love it!

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  14. I've posted this video before! I love it. I actually like the non-musical version even better where you can hear the crowd's reaction. It is pretty fucking incredible. What HEART. What GUTS.

    When I don't feel motivated, I remember that I once again have the ability to exercise...and that exercise always helps when I feel like crap.

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  15. Your kids better know how blessed they are to have a mom like you around. Just sayn'.

    Great message.

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  16. Man, that video brought me right back to high school- I even got butterflies in my stomach. What an awesome recovery and finish!

    When I don't feel motivated, I take a moment to think about what I perceive to be holding me back from my run. If it's a list of chores: I narrow it down to the essentials and leave the rest for the next day. If it's how I'm feeling, I might commit to a shorter distance than planned and do something else for my body like yoga or lifting.

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  17. My hubby saw this before I did and knew the outcome. Amazing. What XL MIC said. We can all run on heart and guts.

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  18. WOW! What an inspirational video! Talk about courage and heart.

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  19. My favorite motivational video is Chris Solinsky breaking the AR for the 10,000 m - the announcers are going nuts, he looks awesome, and they picked a great song. It's on you tube (of course).

    What is super cool about this story is that Heather (Dorniden) Kampf is still running - she just won the USA 1-Mile Championship this week.

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  20. When I don’t feel motivated, I remember I have a choice. Make the right one. Go for a run.

    I actually watched this video last year during my marathon training. It made me cry then made me lace up and get a run done. I don't think Heather has ever heard of DNF. I don't plan on making that part of my vocabulary.

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  21. True all that. When I'm not motivated (which honestly isn't very often these days) I just get out the door b/c I know that once I"m out there, I'll be happy I did it. This approach has never let me down.

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  22. I find it truly amazing that your blog always speaks to what I need to hear. It's crazy that you get me even though you don't know me. Thanks for this, and so many other posts, that have helped me get out the door and keep pushing when I don't want to. When I'm not motivated, I remind myself that I'm a better, more patient, mother, wife, and friend when I've exercised and had my "me" time. I can always tell the difference and so can my family!

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  23. Wonderful vid--thanks for sharing! Got my kids (11 & 16) to my computer immediately--love for them to see these messages.

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  24. Wow that was an incredible video! I'm showing that one to my boss at the gym...not a bad one to share with members for some inspiration!

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  25. I read something (maybe it was on your blog!) recently that said if you don't feel like running today, just tell yourself, "I'll just do two miles." For some reason, the lower mileage sounds less daunting and makes it easier to get out there, and once I'm out there, I always do more than two!

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  26. I get choked up every time I see this!!!

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  27. I don't think you can watch that video and not feel anything. So cool! When I don't feel motivated, I still drag my behind to go run or to the gym because I have yet to regret a workout.

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  28. When I don't feel motivated I have a high energy dog staring at me- ready for his run. Having my sweet dog keeps me motivated to get my run in. Also having goals like races scheduled to compete in helps to keep me motivated. I am doing New York City marathon this fall so definitely motivated to keep running!

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  29. I love that video!

    When I don’t feel motivated, I __put music on to get my energy up__. My training schedule is posted on the refrigerator door, so it's hard to ignore it no matter how un-motivated I might feel. ;)

    That said I have to admit that I did NOT run today. Knowing I would be spending a long, sleepless night on an airplane, I scheduled my long run for Sunday. I spent today on the couch catching up on DVR and napping. My long run will be a better training run after I re-hydrate and get some sleep.

    But that's a schedule decision, not a motivational one.

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  30. Awesome ! (I still think the bee-otch brunette tripped her !) =)

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  31. This spoke to me so loudly.
    Perfect timing after a truly crappy weekend.

    I am leaving work now to go for a run.

    Thanks for the posting.

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  32. wonderful post. I need this every day. I am definitely sharing this!

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