How To Accomplish Almost Anything

After the initial exhilaration, heart pumping and feeling like I have wings, my body starts too feel tired, It tells me to stop running. I slow down to catch my breath. This only happens when I’m running by myself. If I’m with others they tend to run slower so I don't get that out of breath feeling. Between killometre two and kilometre five I have to convince myself to keep running. My brain is bored. (Monkey Mind) It’s looking for other stimuli. Everything I could be doing, instead of running, goes through my mind.

Eventually, my body and my brain become resigned to the fact that running is what I’m doing and I settled into my pace.

This battle with my brain starts well before I even start running. It’s easier if I’m running with other people since they expect me to show up. But without other people to motivate me I might never leave the house, so I’ve resorted to bribing myself. One such bribe is this running skirt. It's cute, (I’ve had several compliments) it’s extremely functional and technologically advanced. There are strategically placed holes and pockets to carry my ipod and to thread its head phone cord through. Other bribes are a cool glass of Gatorade and something nice to eat, waiting in the fridge or car for when I get back.

Having goals is another motivator. I have long-term goals and short-term goals. My short-term goal is to do the Fun Run on August nineteenth from the Moores Meadow parking lot, run up the long hill on Foothills Blvd. to the Chief Lake road and back again. It’s a distance of 18.81k

My long term goals are to run the Popes Peak adventure run in October. The elevation gain is 790 metres and the length is 22 k. In-between those too goals I have some shorter road-races planned. Next year I want to do the Emperors Challenge in August and maybe compete the half or full marathon next May in Vancouver.

Baby Steps are what I call the process by which I focus only on what I want to accomplish in the short term, whether it is looking at something in my middle distance, when I’m out running, and concentrating on getting past it then focusing on the next object to get past or, only thinking about what I want to accomplish on a given day or week. Visualizing the short term goals and not worrying about what I want to do in the future helps me stay focused, and not panic about whether or not I can run a marathon. At this moment the notion scares me.

Having a plan to reach a short term or long term goal is another way to be successful. There are many online running programs you can personalize for your specific goal. You can hire a coach or you can take a running clinic. The family YMCA, here in Prince George, has two clinics they run in the spring. They are geared towards running either a 5k, 10k or half marathon in the YMCA road race in early June. I highly recommend signing up for one of them as a place to start.

Lastly, keep a running diary. Surprisingly my running diary is the only diary I’ve ever had that I’ve been able to keep updated regularly. Ok, so I forget to actually write about the race or run on the day I do it but eventually it all gets written down.

Keep track of how far you run, the route you took, who you ran with, what the weather was like, what your wore and how it felt. Make special note of any aches, pains or falls. Record what you ate the night before and before you ran. All this information is useful to help you pinpoint any injures you may incur at a later date.

Obviously a running diary also helps you track your progress. The first run I ever did was a few hundred metres up to the top of my road and back again. The first time I ran the loop around my house, a distance of 3.5 kilometres I celebrated my accomplishment. I celebrated again when I completed my first 10k road race.

Slowly, bit by bit, you will improve. Surprise yourself.