Trusting

"You've got to trust your instinct, and let go of regret. You've got to bet on yourself now star, 'cause that's your best bet...The first could be the last, so just get off of your ass." - 311

I was lacking motivation a few weekends ago. Something that is rare for me. I tend to consider myself a highly motivated person. I enjoy my work and my workouts. When I'm not feeling like doing something, there is usually good reason (or some really major fatigue).

A few weekends ago the freezing rain was falling and I was more inclined to curl up with the boy and the dog than I was to go out for my long run. A quick call to Eric got me hopping to!

He reminded me that sitting on my a$$ is exactly what the competition would LOVE for me to do. I've got big goals for the season and in order to achieve those, I need to put in the work now. Eric instructed me to not run long outdoors, but instead, do a speed workout on the treadmill.

Those of you that know me, know that I am not a fan of the "dreadmill", but this would be fun. I always like to see how fast I can go without falling off the back (something my good friend Cappie has done!! :)

Eric's point was that getting in a workout is important. Getting my motivation back was also important. Burning myself out and taxing the body physically and mentally in the rain was not a priority - as Eric put it, "You will have plenty of long workouts to get in while it's raining." Good point - most of my long rides and runs for the past 2 years have been in rain, hail and thunder and lightening. They are epic workouts that leave me pumped up rather than drained, but they also come far closer to my key races.

January is not the time to struggle mentally - it is not the time to overtax your physical and mental capacities. January and February should be base-building, confidence-building months where you make deposits into the piggy bank of race preparation. Making withdrawals now would only serve to leave you with a deficit later on.

Of course, all this talk is useless if you simply sit on your butt. The point is to find your motivation, build and nurture it without over-taxing yourself. As the song says, "You've got to bet on yourself". "The first can be last" and so you better, "get off your ass".