Almost done the first week of WAA.  Today was another running day.  I am starting to like them even more now that they provide big boosts into my WAA total, lol.  I actually decided to make today a speed training day.  I followed a workout that I found in Runner’s World but added an extra mile to the warm-up and cool-down running sections.  I was on the dreadmill, but still felt like I had a really good run.

Speed workout (total 5 miles):
2mi@4.4mph warm-up
+6X(.01mi@5.5-6.0mph+.01mi@4.4mph)
+1.8mi@4.4mph cool-down

In addition to the mileage I ran I also had .7 in warm-up and cool down walks and 1.53 miles walking with Tillie.  Total mileage for today was 7.23.

Ahh motivation. That one thing I either have in excess or don’t have at all. Sometimes I feel like the Energizer Bunny and at another times…well I feel like like Homer Simpson. If only I could find that happy medium. That place where I have the energy to get out the door and not start out so fast that I fizzle before I hit my running goal. But I digress…
To help me keep moving forward I use goals. The best type of goal to me is to have another race scheduled. In fact, at this time I am already registered for 7 races reaching all the way into January of 2009. So maybe that is a little excessive, but it is what works for me. Knowing that next race is just weeks away, or in the case of right now days (I have a 5K on Sunday) is usually enough motivation to get me out the door.
Of course there are days when thinking of my next goal isn’t enough to get my shoes on my feet and my hat on my head. That is when I tell myself just 1 mile. If after the 1 mile I still am not in the mood for my run then I allow myself to come home and get on with my day. I think I can count on one hand how many times I have made it through that mile and actually stopped. Of course sometimes getting out is not the problem, it is getting to the end that is.

There are a couple different tricks of the trade to keep myself moving while I am out. Often trying to remember my goal for that training running can get me to the end. That goal could be to run at a tempo pace, achieve negative splits or reach a new distance goal. If I concentrate on the challenge of reaching that goal it can keep my mind from wandering to the desire to stop my run short. There are days however that can prove to be even too challenging for that. For those days I have other little tricks up my sleeve.

Some days the next mile just seems too far. I know when I get that feeling it won’t last through my whole run. I just need to get myself to the place where I stop worrying about how far I have to go. I instead concentrate on the 10 feet in front of me. Those 10 feet are all that matter. When I get past those 10 feet I then look to the next 10 feet. Eventually I forget the dread I was feeling when looking at the bigger picture and start to relax and enjoy my time with the road.

Another technique is to count your steps. Might seem a little boring, but I have used this technique when I have run out of things to process. No more work problems to sift through or bills to worry about. This is when it is just me and the road and I have nothing left to think about. This doesn’t happen often.

You have to try different techniques to find out what motivates you. In the end it doesn’t matter whether it is a carrot at the end of the stick or a chocolate éclair. If you find something that keeps you heading out the door and down the road then you are ahead of the game.

Read more on motivation from other Take it and Run Participants.

I can’t help but feel like I am cheating when exchanging an aerobic weight training workout for mileage in the Walk Across Arizona program. However, I feel like if I don’t I will be cheating out my team for mileage that they are do. So here is what I am going to due. On my training rotation I have added a column called WAA. Here is where I am going to write the Walk Across Arizona mileage equivalent for my activities for the day. These are the numbers I will report to Pat as my weekly total. However, my ticker will only represent the mileage that I have traveled by foot either walking or running. My goal is to reach 410 by walking or running. Everything else will just be icing on the cake for my team.

For today I have taken the dog for a walk of 1 mile. I am getting ready to head out the door to take her for another for 1.1 miles. I also did a FIRM workout, which is considered aerobic weight training. It had me sweeting and my heart racing at times, but I wouldn’t consider it “breath[ing] very hard and perspire heavily”, so I am only going to count it at a moderate intensity. Since 30 minutes = 1 mile and I worked out for 40 minutes I am counting it as 1 mile. That gives me 3.1 for today as seen on my training rotation. 😀

Tomorrow is “Take it and Run Thursday”. Check in to see a post from me about “Motivation”. Now I just need to get motivated to write it. 😉

This morning I woke up and did a 5 mile run.  Not just a 5 mile run, but a 5 mile tempo run.  Not just a 5 mile tempo run, but a 5 mile tempo run in the mid 30s.  Not just a 5 mile tempo run in the mid 30s, but a 5 mile tempo run in the mid 30s and steady rain. 

Okay, confession time.  I am not really one to head out the door with a mind on what kind of run I am going to be doing unless I am doing a speed workout.  I just go out and run whatever pace was comfortable to me and when I got done I would check my speed and give it a name that I thought fit it.  Last night while “powdering my nose” I was reading an article in Runner’s World about finding your perfect pace.  It explained that most runners can use their perceived exertion to determine what their pace is.  It also explained that a tempo run should be at an effort that will allow them to only get about 2 or 3 words out whenever they try to speak.  I used that on my run today.  Actually I kept trying to repeat outloud, “Testing, testing, one, two, three” as I ran.  It worked pretty well.  Most of my 5 milers recently have been pushing the 1:10 mark.  Today I kept myself at a tempo run pace and came in at 1:04.  Would love to get that back under 1:00.  That is where it was two years ago at this time.  So that will be a goal for me. 

So today I ran 5 miles with .63 in warm-up and cool-down and took Tillie for a .52 mile walk.  That is 6.15 more miles towards Walk Across Arizona.  🙂

With my marathon training I got into a habit of taking my rest days and elongating them. One rest day would turn into 2 or 3 or at my worst 4. The Walk Across Arizona is giving me the drive to keep moving, even on my rest days. Today I took Tillie for two 1.1 mile walks. It felt great to spend more quality time with her and get out and enjoy the warmer weather. Yes I referring to the mid-30s that I just walked in as warmer weather. It is warmer compared to the 10s we were in last week. Right now I am getting ready to go down and do a yoga workout. I am hoping it will help me sleep better than I did last night. Wish me luck.