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? :-)
