Defeatist attitude

stenochick

Hi, Everyone!

Yesterday I started my Week 4 Day 1 run in my Couch to 5K program. I love the program. I've been looking forward to my jogging each day. They are always challenging but never have I wanted to quit as much as I did yesterday. Week 4 is the week I told myself that I'd purchase a new pair of running shoes if I completed week 4. Week 4, Day 1 is also the day I almost gave up. My legs felt like lead. Almost from the get-go, I was struggling -- 90 fricking seconds of a slow jog around my neighborhood and I was already saying to myself "looks like you're going to have to walk soon and maybe repeat this week." How on earth could I determine that 90 seconds in? From there, it was a battle of the angel and the devil on my shoulder: One spurring me on and the other telling me to stop. Never before have I been my own worst enemy and my best cheerleader all at the same time. I must say that I had to keep telling myself that I could do this, complete this without having to walk. It was motivation to be able to post to you my fellow MFP's that I'd completed the run -- so a BIG THANK YOU to all of you. I kept telling myself that if I needed to run hard (i.e. someone running after me with a knife (yes I'm a crazy person), I would be able to find the strength to keep going and not poop out.

Which got me thinking, what motivates you through a particularly rough workout where you just want to throw the towel in (other than perhaps an axe murderer on your heels ;-) Why can we be so defeated before we even really try? Anyone have any thoughts?

~Melanie

Aid_B

When doing C25k I constantly lie to myself. "One more minute, just one more minute", " You can run one more minute"

It helps

Someone once said Running is more mental than physical

bettertracie

Im working my way to a 5k right now on my own motivation, I take my dog, and she generally doesn't help... But what I do, is take a route that is straight up hill starting, and there's no shortcuts to get home faster if I dont feel like doing it... and when I really hate it and want to get home, the only way is to keep running down the hill, it's the "inner hamster wheel" for me... GOOD LUCK!

kimmerroze

I know for me, when my work outs are toughest is when I have the world on my shoulders and only a million things on my to do list, my cars a mess, my rooms a mess, I need to do laundry, dishes, I dont' have enough money, or time, or patience, all these things are negative, and that is when I feel like I can't continue my work out not even 60 more seconds. So I stop and refocus myself, saying this

"I am paying for a gym membership, it is something fun, that I get to do all month long, it rewards my efforts, and I am healthier happier and better because of it. Its an investment for the better. Then I push aside everything that is threatening to knock my door down, leave it back at home or outside the doors of the gym, and just enjoy the oxygen racing into my lungs, I enjoy the thick heavy heart beat in my chest, I enjoy the pounding of my feet on the cement/treadmill conveyor belt ;D and I focus my mind body and soul and give it my all, If I am angry, I push all my anger into my work out, If I am happy I push all my joy into my work out, if I am stressed, I work out until exhaustion takes the place of the stress. Then I go home and tackle ONE little bitty thing at the top of my list.

We as humans crumble when we try to accomplish more than 1 or 2 tasks at a time. Yeah we may be great multitaskers but it takes a toll on us eventually. So my trick is to throw myself into the here and now and only focus on one thing at a time, those other tasks will remain there whether I stress about them or not. so I choose to not stress.

amandalc980

Zombies! I need to know that I have a fighting chance of surviving the zombies. Everytime I do a race I enjoy looking behind me and thinking "at least the zombies will have to get through that buffet before they get to me."
:laugh:

I also lie to myself. When I run 6 miles I tell myself halfway there at the 2 mile mark. At the three mile mark I tell myself half way there, at the 4.5 mark I again say, halfway there. The whole way. Halfway sounds better than the real thing. I also always give myself the option to walk. Just run to that sign and you can walk if you want. I make it to the sign and then realize, maybe I can just go to the next sign. Eventually I find I have run the entire thing.

Cmccracken1

Melanie, so proud of you for not giving up.. i did week 4 day 1 yesterday too... yesterday actually felt great because i had rested a day before but i totally understand.. i have been so sore some days running it's like my legs didnt know how to run and i had to force them to come off the ground and go into the right postition... but stick with it. that feeling is temporary and when you look back we ran 16 minutes.... this is how it's done this is how we reach our goals this is how we fit in those jeans, this is how we get to go clothes shopping, this is how we get our kids to say hey mom you look great (if you have kids)))...

Mrs_McFadden

Perhaps you could repeat week 3?

stenochick

Zombies! I need to know that I have a fighting chance of surviving the zombies. Everytime I do a race I enjoy looking behind me and thinking "at least the zombies will have to get through that buffet before they get to me."
:laugh:

Rule No. 1: CARDIO!!
You know there's an app for that? It's called Zombie, Run! My husband uses it when he walk the kids in the stroller. It's a GPS app that has you manuevering around zombies in the neighborhood. You can even pick which kind of zombies : Night of the Living Dead (slow); Resident Evil zombies (faster); 28 Days Later (fastest). It's free, too.
~Melanie

stenochick

Perhaps you could repeat week 3?

that occurred to me to repeat, but for the fact that week 3 was not much of a challenge for me. I think I'll just muddle through. It could be a combination of factors -- TOM is just about to visit, I haven't been taking my vitamins, and that day I blew at drinking my H2o. Thanks for all your responses!
Melanie

amandalc980

Zombies! I need to know that I have a fighting chance of surviving the zombies. Everytime I do a race I enjoy looking behind me and thinking "at least the zombies will have to get through that buffet before they get to me."
:laugh:

Rule No. 1: CARDIO!!
You know there's an app for that? It's called Zombie, Run! My husband uses it when he walk the kids in the stroller. It's a GPS app that has you manuevering around zombies in the neighborhood. You can even pick which kind of zombies : Night of the Living Dead (slow); Resident Evil zombies (faster); 28 Days Later (fastest). It's free, too.
~Melanie

I am totally downloading that! Awesome!