Tag Archives: motivation

Endorphins: Picture a world that much sweeter

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Trust me, there is something special about those endorphins…more powerful than even speed goggles. EVERYTHING just looks and feels better with a brain full of post-run endorphins. Those problems feel just a smidgen less monstrously terrible, food tastes better, even that neighbor you hate is slightly more tolerable. The world is just a better place after you’ve got your run on.

Now, certainly endorphins have a shelf-life…gosh, dang it! The answer though is simple…get up, run, get your endorphin shot, go to bed, repeat.
life is better on endorphins
Living the life of a runner is like being in one of those revolving doors. It’s not a stagnate state, it’s ALWAYS moving. Tomorrow wipes the slate clean, and you have to start that run all over again. Some people could see that as a negative, “Dangit, I worked by butt off yesterday but when I go to bed I’ve gotta get up and do it all over again.”

Wiped clean, but not erased. Let’s look at the many positives of living in the running revolving door:

* Injures pass: Stuck in the middle of an injury it kinda feels like that door is stalling out…maybe it’s broken and you’re trapped in injury purgatory FOREVER. But time passes, injuries heal, and eventually you get back to your runs. Then savor them.
* Training accumulates: When tomorrow wipes the slate clean, it HARDLY erases all that hard work put in. This is the beauty of training cycles, the runs and hard workouts build upon the next, so that revolving door is more like an escalator. Riiiiide it, baby. BUT…it only goes up if you stay consistent in moving through those doors, you have to be consistent with your running and putting in the work.
* Bad races are wiped away: There will always be days that bring you bad races and horrible workouts. Can’t avoid them, the good news is you can LEARN from every off performance and after that, shake off the crappy run and get moving towards the next AWESOME run.
* ALWAYS another opportunity: Perhaps the most wonderful and motivating part of the revolving door is that there is ALWAYS another run, race, day, workout, waiting. So even in the most down times of your running, take a shower and set your sights on tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that…and just keep running.

So if you’re reading this in brilliant HI-DEF, magni-color vision…you must have gotten back from your run. If the world is looking a little grey, though, you know what you need to do…

1) List another benefit of tomorrow always ‘wiping’ away yesterday.
2) Name another major perk of endorphins?
3) Last lesson you learned from a bad day?

Running Shorts in Winter

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So you remember how just a few days ago I was saying how running during winter can really suck?? Weeeeeell…that’s not always the case…
running shorts in california
I honestly DO feel bad for all you running out there in states that actually DO have winter weather. Snow? Sleet? Hail? Crazy-@$$ wind?? It’s not fun stuff…but it does certainly make you tougher. I mean within reason, no use running outside just FOR the torture, sometimes running on a treadmill is the smarter choice. If it allows you to avoid a potential injury and if you’re needing to run faster than outdoor conditions may allow. So treadmills ARE training tools that have their place.

That said…I’m not going to lie. I’ve run in snow, I’ve run in sleet, hail, and into crazy winds that blew me to the side. But *please karma don’t come back and bite me on this for writing the next line* not this year. So I’m going to REALLY enjoy wearing my running shorts.

The other *perk* of being a runner?? #stronglegs #awesomelegs
awesome runner legs
1) Treadmill running? How often have you been hitting the treadmill the winter?
2) What are some of your favorite treadmill workouts?
Longer repeats or tempo runs on the treadmill…doing 400’s or 200’s sorta freak me out because when the belt gets going I’m afraid I’ll get spit right off! 😉
3) I wear running shorts in public….
anywhere I can.

Underestimate Me: Confidence is malleable, believe in yourself through it all

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Running as an underdog rocks. Being an unknown is easy, and it’s just as fun to shock people. But shock wears off and then expectations can start to build. The thing is, EVERYONE has failures, set-backs, off-days and that’s when the critics start. The underestimating.

Dealing with nay-sayers comes in running and it comes in life. The thing is, you can USE those crappy words to your advantage. Let them underestimate you, let them think you’re not capable. Flip all that crap into motivation to prove them wrong.
underdog story
The times you get into trouble are when you start to doubt YOURSELF. Everyone have doubts, those moments of weakness, but the key to keeping those moments fleeting is by looking within yourself and believing. Believe in your abilities and your goals. Much easier said than done, certainly…kind of like saying running is just putting one foot in front of the other and then go really fast.

The mind is quite tricky, it can fool you into believing you can’t. But you can also fool IT…it’s all in how you think of it. Confidence comes in waves and it’s malleable; to get to the point of BELIEVING in yourself you sometimes just need to fake it ’til you make it.

Everyone has doubts, the people who achieve their goals do two things:
1) They set goals with passion. It has to REALLLLY mean something to you, because you’ll have to work your @$$ off to reach them.
2) They refute their doubts. When you catch your mind slipping, “I don’t think I can do this” you need to refute that, “H*ll yes, I’m doing this!” It’s not a question.

Of course goals can change, and there is a difference between being totally delusional and just confident in yourself. Certainly. Sometimes you have to be flexible and wise enough to know when the current course for your goals isn’t working and THEN you adjust. Just like with a training program, you need enough flexibility to know when to change the workout, tweak the plan.

But with confidence, you can’t let others shake you. In fact, once they start to underestimate you and your abilities…you’ve once again become the underdog, do you not? And everyone knows being an underdog rocks! 😉

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Confidence at the starting line of a race or workout is imperative, read my post HERE on how to be a gamer.

Sometimes expectations feel like pressure, but they shouldn’t. THIS POST is all about handing pressure.

Posts on how to set goals with meaning HERE
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1) When has been a time that you’ve been an underdog?
2) When was the last time you’ve dealt with nay-sayers? How did you prove them wrong?
3) When you’re having a ‘low confidence’ moment, how do you push to refute your doubts and believe in yourself?
Honestly, it’s SUPER hard, and everyone struggles. You refute even when you don’t believe it in the moment, and it’s okay to seek out the support of others who believe in you. And in those ‘lows’ remember that your confidence comes in waves and you need to just make it to that next ‘high’.

Need Motivation? Run Today, Avoid a Butt-Kicking Later

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It never pays to be a slacker.

Let’s be honest, running in the middle of a snowstorm, heading out into sub-freezing temperatures, when the wind is blowing in your face THE WHOLE way…it’s not all that appealing. Love running, love running in ALL weather conditions, maybe not?
winter running
But for those poor folks living in States with crueler than cruel winter weather conditions, gain strength and know that being a baller NOW will pay off big time come Spring and Summer. The penance for slacking off is steep…the reward of being the one DOLING OUT that punishment is sweeter than chocolate cake.

#365RUN

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Winter is no joke, and don’t look at running on a treadmill as the ‘weenie’s way out’…READ WHY.
More tips for staying warm and safe during winter HERE
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1) Finish this sentence: “It might suck training right now but I’ll be rewarded…”
…really any time I finish a run I know it was for the better. I chant that during the runs that suck really hard.
2) What’s winter running weather like for you currently?
I feel SO horrible, and a little bit like a hypocrite because I’ve been running in shorts. Hate me? Move to Cali.
3) What races are you looking forward to?

Sunday Morning Running Inspiration

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You’re a runner. You’re special. It’s okay to think that.
runner words[Click to enlarge, but please if you’d like prints of any work you see here contact me! 🙂 ]
PS- For all you runnerdudes just pretend that the hair isn’t there. Unless you’ve got long hair, double points if you’ve got a mullet! The words still apply, maybe the could be added on to the arms…
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MENTAL head games tips HERE
More MOTIVATION
More CARTOONS
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1) What are your Sunday plans? Sunday runday status?
2) Come up with a line of text you would add to this.

Runner’s Strip Animation: Where ‘Normal World’ and ‘Runner World’ Intersect

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There’s ‘Normal People World’ and ‘Runner World’…but the best place is where they intersect.

running animation

Running is a special sport because you could be 1-foot or 7-feet, 3 lbs or 300 lbs, not have a lick of coordination, but if you put in the work and are motivated you WILL improve. That’s it. Of course that motivation part is what defines the sport and no amount of good genes can make up for a lacking there.

On the flip side that’s what makes running even more fun and exciting…it’s the MENTAL factor. That gamer-trait and tough as dirt runner spirit are what makes those stories of triumph, the inspiration the breeds motivation in others, and thus makes a nice little circle. It’s the circle of (runner) life?? 😉

And let’s be honest, the ‘Real World’ can get downright stressful, glum, and hum-drum at times…so it’s always refreshing to be able to escape, if for only a short bit, into ‘Runner World’.

Run. Smile. Live.

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More Runner’s Strip Cartoon Animation Shorts HERE!!

Post on the METNAL factor of running HERE
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1) What does your ‘strip’ to runner world look like? Do you have to wear a certain uniform to work/school, or do you try to get away with wearing runner clothes as often as possible?
Ummm…take a guess?
2) What’s one genetic trait that you may be lacking in but doesn’t matter in ‘Runner World’?
No coordination. Like negative 200. But I can turn left and run straight!
3) What’s something that inspired or motivated you recently?
My dad. He used to run casually but now he’s running ultra’s.

The Track is For Dreamers

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Track season is coming…can you feel it?

There’s something special about stepping on the track. There’s a little tingling that starts in your spine, if you’re a runner you can’t stop it. The hairs on your arms start to prick, the back of your neck feels a chill. It’s unconscious, your body senses the speed. The excitement.
track dreams
Even when I’m flying and we’re close enough to still see the ground, whenever I visibly make out the wide oval of a track I smile. I feel like it’s the Universe’s way of saying, “Hello!” just to me, it’s a special message just for me…like it knows there is a runner on board. So spotting a track on a plane always feels like a good luck sign.

Every track has stories to tell. Years and years of secrets buried between the lanes. Stories of hope, dreams the red rubber can feel through the spikes. Underneath the rubber the gritty dirt holds lasting memories from runners decades ago.

The track feels, but it is an unbiased judge, cold at times, but it has to be. It can’t make everyone a winner, it can grant EVERY runner their dreams, it couldn’t possibly fulfill every goal made by starry-eyed harriers. For every smile there may be tears, but that’s part of the magic. Part of the waking dream.

The track tests every runner, but when we make those goals, go to bed with those dreams, we know this. We go in fully aware that we could wind up smiling or falling short. That’s okay, we spike up anyways because that’s all part of the fun.

The journey TO the track is just as special as what transpires between the lanes.

1) Have you run track? Are you looking forward to track season coming up? What races?
2) Do you like track, roads, cross country, or trails more?
3) What’s one of your fondest track memories? Funny, inspiring, utter fail, anything!

Goals, Running, Motives, Skinny-Fat and Twerking

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I’ve got a personal pet-peeve and it’s called ‘skinny-fat’. It also ties right into my other pet-peeve: New Year and you can’t escape the onslaught of diet talk, weight-losser’s [not a spelling error, I’m going to start the momentum on this term], and body aesthetically obsessed.

I don’t harbor ill feelings towards all resolutionsists, I swear I’m not a mean person, but overload me with anything and it can get rundantly annoying. Exceptions include running and chocolate. I think my issue comes back to the REASON, MOTIVE, and EXECUTION of said resolution.

tough runner

Are you motivated? Like, THAT motivated?? 😉


* Reason: I view running and fitness as something kinda special…sacred even. The people who don’t respect ALL that it bestows upon one’s life, I get annoyed. If all they can see is the aesthetic part, it irks me. If they can’t see how endorphins and running will make you happier, more goal-driven, self-motivated, productive, and more proud of what you body can DO, then it’s kinda like they are spitting on the track. Respect the track, mmmk. Certainly running WILL have the trickle-down effect of that hotter bod, don’t get me wrong that’s a major perk…but it’s a perk…not the ultimate prize.

* Motive: Setting a goal to ‘lose weight’ or ‘get fit’ is redunkulatly over-played, don’t be a lemming, set a real goal. 😉 So ambiguous, and these resolutionists tend to get my mental eye-roll. Be motivated to up the ante, define an awesome goal and THOSE are the resolutions I respect. “I’ll break XXX for the 5k” , “I’ll run 30 minutes every day for 30 days” , “I’ll do speed-work twice a week“. Bam…those are resolutions, People, they also can be made any time during the year.

don't stop running

Don’t Stop. PS-I FINALLY got an iphone so mayyybe you’ll see more actual photos around here??


* Execution: Accountability, I guess that goes without saying. Gyms are packed, you’ll see lots of new faces out running on the roads these first few weeks. Those numbers start to dwindle…it’s the thinning of the herd. If you’re going to set a resolution, respect the amount of effort and work it will take, that goes with any goal. Hard work is a requirement, or else your goal isn’t high enough. With execution, there’s nothing more to say than you only earn respect and being taken seriously over time and with your actions. Those quietly working away for their goals, day in and day out, probably aren’t broadcasting it to the world…they’ll let their actions speak volumes when they show up to race day and BAM, shock the world with their new PR.

What does all of this have to do with the weight-lossers and the jiggly ‘skinny-fat’ nuisance? I use skinny-fat as a barometer to gauge HOW people are trying to get to a healthier place. The number on the scale isn’t a hard-fast indicator, you see a skinny person who jiggles when they twerk and I’ll bet they aren’t putting in the effort exercise-wise and just limit their calories. They’re missing out on the BEST part of the puzzle.

Running and exercise. It gets you toned, it gets you healthier place mentally AND physically, it teaches you that your body is more than an aesthetic. Your body can be a performance vehicle if you’re driven. Be self-motivated to find out how AMAZING your vehicle can be and you’ll learn that looking hotter thanks to all that running is a perk.

Merely a perk.

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Motivation lulls happen to EVERYONE, even the most running obsessed, don’t feel bad if you hit one…HERE are posts to spark some motivation on those days.

Goal setting…HERE are posts all about those awesome goals and dreaming big!

Speaking of legs…if you have them put them to use!! 😉
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1) Did you set any resolutions this year? What were your reasons and motives behind those goals?
2) How do you stay accountable to your goals? What are some motivation tips you use?
3) Favorite perk that running gives you…aka, what hot body part are you most proud of? What is one performance vehicle achievement running has given you that you’re super proud of?

Running: You wanted honest

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Running can be your most simple relationship if you let it. It will give you the truth, even on days when the truth hurts. But other days the truth is SO awesome you have to stare at the watch a few times just to make sure it’s actually THAT awesome.

running is honest

So let your relationship with running stay simple. Don’t let your head over-complicate things. Don’t fight it, relax to run fast. Don’t doubt, don’t believe your brain when it says “this hurts…I’m done.”

Running. Can you handle THAT much honest?? 😉

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Tips on keeping your brain from making things too complicated:
Dealing With Pre-Race Nerves
Bad Workouts and Races
Stay Relaxed to Run Faster
Burned Out? Get the passion back.
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1) How do you keep your running relationship simple and healthy.
Biggest tip is to just remember you love it and have fun with it. Don’t lose the fun part.
2) How do you manage your pre-race nerves?
3) How do you make sure not to ‘fight it’ when you want to run faster?

I’m a Runner and I’m Special: And I know it, and I like it

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Even when things suck, focus on your goals and go for a run. This can apply to life, it can apply to training, it can even apply to running a business. Reaching your goals and getting what you want for yourself is a collection of days, weeks, months, and years. The celebratory moment(s), the races everyone see, you have to earn them with an infinite number of moments not a single person ever knew existed.

The solitary miles at dawn, the second run as the sun sets, the grueling track sessions, the mental tests where you fight to keep pushing when your brain is screaming at you to stop. That’s the reality of training, and the only person who really can hold you accountable is yourself.
running changes lives
There will always be HARD sh*t, setbacks, obstacles to overcome, and in order to get through them requires you put in the fight. Now there are REWARDS along the way, that keeps you going; I mean c’mon, let’s not paint this ugly picture like all that training isn’t fun and awesome. Awesome in a kind of sick, twisted, hurts so good, kind of way, but awesome none the less.

But let’s not dodge reality, running and training isn’t for the pansy-@$$e$ of the world. Perhaps a part of the draw, if us runners are brave enough to admit it, is knowing that we’re ‘special’. We’re different, we can push ourselves to do things most other people couldn’t or even WANT to. Nah-na-na-na-na-nah.

I mean, who in their ‘right’ mind decides to head out for an 18 mile run? Do a workout where you hit halfway and you’re pretty sure even your eyeballs have lactic acid, but you take the recovery jog and move onto the next?
running in circles
Runners play tons of mind games to get themselves through it, it’s funny actually the lies we feed ourselves. Funnier still is that our brains believe it! “Just one more mile. I’m only going for 5 minutes. I SWEAR this will be our last repeat.” Oh the lies, the glorious lies! Hey, but they work.

Race day is worth it. PR’s are worth it. Bragging rights [even if in our own minds because we don’t want to seem like we’re bragging or full of ourselves] are worth it.

Feeling ‘special’ is worth it.

Goals are awesome, the days where we show up to the race and finish with a PR are awesome, but even all those unseen moments are awesome. Every test no one but yourself knows your taking (Netflix or run? Mentally wuss out or not? Long run or sleep?) are fun, because when you pass, when you sail through with flying colors and you KNOW it…those are the gifts no one but yourself can give you.

Those are the things that send you to bed with a smile on your face.

1) What test did running give you today? Did you pass?
2) When was the last time you failed a test? What did you learn from that and how have you applied that lesson to make you better and stronger now?
3) What is one way runners are crazier than the normals of the world?
Just one????