Motivation

A friend of mine asked me this week, "how do you stay motivated"?  Good question.  Especially this time of year.  It's currently cold, rainy and dreary and would be the perfect day to put on a pot of soup and curl up with a good book.

I just can't give in to that. It would be too easy to skip my workout, then perhaps tomorrow's workout and so on.  I've been there before and I can't let myself fall into that pattern. I have to stay on top of my game mentally and physically. As such I have to stick to my schedule.  I have a 150 mile hilly ride coming up in 2 months, and my first Ironman race is 18 weeks from today. That means no skipped workouts. I want to make this my best season yet and that means hard work.

I rode a three hour endurance ride today. I dug deep to get the motivation, because I'll be honest I was dreading it. The prospect of being in the same room on my bike for a solid three hours didn't seem like very much fun. I think the motivation came from an automatic response to training...it's on my calendar and if I want to improve I've just got to do it. But you know how it is, long treadmill runs or long sessions on the bike trainer imply sheer boredom.

But I did it...it's in the record books and I enjoyed it like I always do. I'll be back next week to do it again. I was blessed with some amazing athletes to ride with today. We rode the Ironman World Championship course in Kona, Hawaii from cold Carmel IN. Awesome. Pretty scenery on the overhead screen helped the time go by quickly.

So where does that motivation come from?

Part of my story is a significant weight gain during my pregnancies. The term significant being an understatement. After my son was born I tipped the scales. I was large and in charge. I lost the weight gradually (and the old fashioned way by changing my diet and lifstyle...no surgery for this girl) and have kept it off, especially since picking up triathlons several years ago. This certainly keeps me motivated. As I've mentioned, I over indulge in many areas and if I'm not careful tend to easily slip into bad habits. Balance again comes into play. The mental aspect of training comes from within. I have a strong need to keep the fat girl at bay. This can easily become an obsession...but I'm working on that too. I put emphasis on healthy, clean living today. I'll tell you the whole story one of these days. Maybe I'll reveal my highest weight. Bet you won't believe it..but I have pictures under lock and key to prove it.

I have been through a lot in my life. I've changed and morphed into a person that I'm proud of and that my kids are proud of. This is my motivation, and this is where my positivity comes from. I've been down...way down but I've picked myself up. This fact alone has made me strong. There is great hope in me that I can overcome any obstacle that comes my way.

For me good health, regular training and working on myself is not just something I do but it's the way I am today. Keep moving forward. There's no way I'm going back. There's my motivation.

Tomorrow's workout in my Training Peaks is yoga. Thanks coach. Namaste'.

Do you need some motivation? Just ask me...I'll cheer you on!



Peace out,
xoxoxo