Motivation

I had a friend ask me the other day what motivates me when I'm training and racing?  I paused for a moment because, honestly, I didn't have an answer.  I can't really say what keeps me motivated!  When I wake up (usually somewhere around 4:15am), I find it somewhat peaceful and quiet - I have 2+hours all to myself.  In the summer, I get to watch the sunrise and there is something so magical about the pink sky just before the sun bursts over the horizon.  Sometimes, if I have to get my workout in late, I get to watch the sun set and there's some equally magical about the sun setting.  Lately it's been really dark and a little chilly in the morning, but the skies have been clear and the stars and the moon are still out.  There is something so peaceful and calming about the darkness, early morning.  It's different than the night-time darkness to me.  I find it calming to head out into the darkness with my reflective belt and glowing headlamp.  When I'm on the trainer in my basement spinning away, I can see the reflection of the basement lights onto the beams of the deck.  For a moment, I think it's light outside and then I realize it's just the light from the basement.

As I reflect on my racing season, which isn't quite over yet because I still have the Chicago Marathon, Monumental Marathon, and the Huff 50K trail race left - I think of how exciting it is and how lucky I am to have recorded personal best times at all but one of my races (IM Boulder).  I still have my marathon goal of 3:15 ---- hoping to achieve that in Chicago in a few weeks! :)  But when I get up each morning, I try to keep these goals in mind (they have been taped to my bathroom mirror all season - they keep me going.... motivating me to give it my best effort that day.  Not every day is perfect though.  I recently sat in on a forum by Endurance Nation and the speaker said something that really hit home for me - he said "Your racing self should honor your training self"  I really like that phrase - your training self gets up at the crack of dawn most days to complete a workout often when it would be much easier to hit the snooze button.  Not all races are perfect either - weather and personal health is key to a great race and sometimes that's not always possible - waking up on the day of Long Course Nationals to pouring rain in June is a great example!!!  But at that point, it becomes mind over matter - I think.  If it's windy, try to put that out of your mind.  If it's cold, tell yourself it's only temporary.   I also make a point before each workout to set a goal for myself and try to stick with it - I am working with a coach now, so it helps that I have some specific direction as to what I'm supposed to do - how far, what pace, etc.  But even that, I'm given a little bit of freedom with pace, etc.  I did a workout this week where I was supposed to do two 5 mile segments at half-marathon pace - so I looked up a 1:30 marathon pace and thought I would shoot for between 1:30 and sub-1:30 pace.  Before  I started the workout, I thought it would be really tough to hit those paces - but I was determined to hit the paces as close as possible  - I found myself actually finishing the last few miles faster than pace.  I couldn't help but think to myself afterward - "could I have run them faster from the beginning?"  "was I too conservative?"  There are many times this season that I have surprised myself (IM Wisconsin, Long Course Nationals, defending my sprint title in Traverse City).  I try to think of those good times - the way I felt finishing the race to keep me motivated each day.  I take things ONE MILE AT A TIME and that really seems to help - whether it's a 3 mile run, a 15 mile progression run, or a 5.5 hour bike ride  - I live only in that mile.  My family is a big part of my motivation too - I want to show them an active, healthy lifestyle. 

  the kids put these in my tri-bag so I could read them in transition.  I really love the one that says "Let's Go!  Finish it with every last drop of energy you have!"

These are a "few" other things that keep me motivated:

 hustling in transition

 riding on a mission!