Sunday, February 16, 2014

Winter Blahs

In an effort to be authentic (or as the kids say- "keepin it real") with you, my readers, I have a confession to make. I am stuck in the crappiest bout of winter blahs I've ever had.

Call it post-marathon blues, Disney withdrawal, or Seasonal Affective Disorder- whatever it is, it's bad. I have little motivation to run and even less to get myself back to my "fighting weight."


Don't get me wrong, I've still been getting my weekly runs in. But this weekend was the first in almost seven months that I didn't run. I planned to, but then I just couldn't pull myself together to get out the door. And despite the fact that the scale is slowly creeping up, I'm struggling to keep my nutrition in check.

I have big goals for my spring races. I want to PR all my distances (5k, 10k, half and full). I'm registered for four half marathons in the upcoming months. I need to get more training in. I need to do more speed work and hill repeats. I need to incorporate strength training into my weekly routines. But I'm really, truly, struggling.

A few weeks ago, I was in Boston for a work conference. While there, I was able to have dinner with Dani from Weight Off My Shoulders. Dani, quite frankly, kicks ass. She has accomplished so many of the goals on my list- achieving Lifetime Status with Weight Watchers, running marathons in 5 hours or less, inspiring thousands of people to get active through her blog and social media. During our conversation about weight loss, she said something that really stuck with me. She said, "I don't believe in 'cheat days.'" I think it's about time that I stop believing in them too.

I won't be able to PR my spring races if I don't put the training in. I know I can finish, but I don't want to just finish- I want to own my spring half marathons. And I can't do that if I'm also not nourishing my body effectively. That means eating like I'm fueling my body; not punishing it with crappy food. Not having "cheat days" means putting the work in; not just skating by and hoping I'll finish the race in the time goal I want.

The logical part of me knows that ups and downs are normal; not everyone can be sparkly and awesome all the time. But I'm still having a hard time finding the motivation to train appropriately and banish my "cheat days."

I don't know what the solution is yet. But something has got to work. So, if you have any extra motivation, could you send it my way? :-)



10 comments:

  1. Everyone's gonna come at you from all angles with advice... and I'm certainly no different, because I'm a walking talking cliche... ANYWAY there's two things I would say to that: (1) Never beat yourself up over a few pounds or an easy weekend, (2) be sure to cross-train when not running, (3) there's definitely a difference between a "cheat" day and an "off" day -- we all eat healthy and exercise religiously to meet our goals, but if it's all at the expense of a really awesome beer and pasta night once in awhile, then what are we doing it for in the first place?, (4) we've gone way beyond the original "two things", e) I was never good at math, 6) as long as you have a goal to focus on, you've never STOPPED moving and that's important, and 7) I forgot was 7 was.

    A bit of a ramble, I apologize. I understand the blahs, TRUST me. Just keep moving on to the next goal. If we kept rigidly adherent to the machine all the time, we wouldn't be human beings, we'd be robots. Vicious, heartless, rusty, 1950s style robots. With the waving arms and the beeping antenna and the monosyllabic dialog. That frightens me more than steamed cabbage :(

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    1. And this is why we are friends :-) Thank you for your kind words and for making me laugh :-) I know I'll get out of this funk and be super pumped for running and all things healthy soon enough! And you're right, I still have goals and I'm still moving forward, even if begrudgingly :-)

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  2. It's all about the journey. Take time to reflect. This winter sucks, but remember where you were a few months ago and how great it felt. Strive for that feeling. It will come back. It's not just you, trust me!

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    1. I feel 10 times better just in writing it down. I know I'm not the only one struggling with this- your support means so much. I'll be back to ass-kicking in time for Pittsburgh and Akron :-)

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  3. I can't give you advice, but I can tell you that you're not alone. Yesterday was the first Saturday since Tinkerbell that I've gone out to run. My diet has been crappier than it's been in years. I've eaten more cookies and cupcakes and candy lately than I can remember eating in a very long time. The sad part is, I'm not really motivated to get my act together, despite the goal of PRs just like you. I blame winter. Having to bundle up just doesn't make one body-conscious and the short days are depressing. It'll turn around. Just keep plugging through.

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    1. Girl, I hear you! It's like the snow and ice and cupcakes are all conspiring to gang up on us at the same time! I keep thinking about Dory from 'Finding Nemo,' "Just keep swimming!" It'll be spring before we know it :-)

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  4. I think that even on days like this you're sparkly and awesome, because when you're talking about the hard days you're inspiring someone who's having those days too and reminding them its normal.

    The winter has been getting me too and I haven't actually even started doing anything! Hang in there - I know you'll do amazing things this year! After all, you already have. :)

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    1. Thank you :-) I am thankful for realistic and supportive friends like you to help it all make more sense. You are awesome :-)

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  5. I've been struggling with much of the same, and wrote about my Winter Blahs this past week. What I think is most important to remember you already said - that all runners go through ups and downs. This winter seems to have been especially tough on the East Coast, and I don't think winter is done yet. Just be sure to make the most of the days that you are motivated, and hopefully you'll get your mojo back soon!

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    1. Thanks, Kathryn! And yes, this winter has been brutal! It was much easier with Dopey looming, but now that it's over, it's so hard to convince myself to get out there and run. But, I can't get too crazy- I have two half marathons in less than a month! You're running DC, right? Hope the training is going well so far! :-)

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