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You are here: Home / Archives for inspiration

inspiration

11 Ways to Make Your Way Out of a Running Rut

OperationMove · February 25, 2015 · 1 Comment

As much as I don’t believe in the idea of feeling motivated as necessary for you to get out there and go for a run or get that workout done, it’s true that sometimes you have periods of malaise that last longer than others. It’s great to push through those bad runs or go when you don’t want to for the first little bit but if a few weeks pass and everything feels like a struggle, it’s not very fun is it? And the truth is you rely on those good runs or good workouts to keep you inspired. But what happens when that disappears? And sometimes it does.

1) Change up the route. You might be bored. Running somewhere else can really help to make tings a bit more interesting.

2) Find people who are loving their running. You know who the most inspiring person is, that person who is really passionate and happy about what they are doing. When I’m in a rut, I get great inspiration from people like that, because I know soon that will be me again.

3) Identify the resistance. Sometimes there is a really good reason for your resistance. For example, if you are really not wanting to run intervals or do hill sprints, maybe it’s not that you don’t like speedwork – maybe it’s just that you haven’t been eating the right kind of food and your body is a bit run down.

4) Go anyway. Look we both know that you will probably feel crappy either way. You might as well feel crappy and have gotten out doors.

5) Read a book. People who don’t like to run, like to read about running. True story. Sometimes you can find your joy in the pages of someone else’s journey.

6) Get outside. For me a huge part of my joy of running is just being outdoors and I can get that without running. If I’m feeling run down or like I’m just not up for a run, a walk in the fresh air is just as good.

7) Don’t look at your watch or your app. Can a time turn a good run into a bad run? No it can’t. Ignore it and just enjoy the run.

8) Try something new. Maybe you want to try a dance class or yoga or lift some weights. Don’t wrap your entire self up in one form of exercise. Eventually you will want a bit of variety, or you will be injured and having developed a love of something else will reward you.

9) Set a new goal. If I was just running with no set goal in mind I don’t think I would lose interest but I think I would probably be less consistent. Setting a goal that inspires an equal amount of excitement and fear will get you out the door in no time.

10) Be part of a community of expectation. If you surround yourself with people who are also working towards similar goals, exercise just becomes part of your lifestyle, not something that you decide whether you will do or not.

11) Give yourself a break. Sometimes you need a rest day. Sometimes you need to miss going for a run. And barring injury or illness that’s fine for a week, but after that you better get yourself back out the door.

Top Places To Get Some Extra Inspiration in 2015

OperationMove · February 4, 2015 · 1 Comment

what happens next motivation inspiration

At the beginning of the year a lot of us start with some great goals and as life gets in the way a little bit it can be easy to let some of those things slide more than you’d like them to. The best antitode to that is a community to keep you going but there are lots of fun places to find community and I’ve joined up with a few of them!

How many kilometres can you move in 2015?

This is an idea for anyone. Not just for runners. Walking counts, cycling counts, swimming counts. Just a place for us to share some of our moving and see how far we can go in 2015.

Operation Move on Strava with Monthly Challenges

A whole lot of us are on Strava and Strava has great monthly challenges for cycling or running that you can join in to keep you motivated. And you can keep track of all the Operation Move people in our club.

Run Down Under – Operation Move Team

Run Down Under is shaping up to be highly addictive. There is a fee to join in but you do get a singlet. And you get to see yourself moving around a map of Australia based on how many km you do. I’m on my way to Bowral, right now. There’s also an Operation Move club there.

Weekly Chat – Operation Move Forum

Want to catch up for a bit of a chat with everyone else? Forum chat is on Wednesday’s at 8pm AEST and it’s great for a bit of a laugh, a bit of inspiration and a bit of kick up the bum when you need it.

2015 is shaping up to be a great year!

Meet a Mover – Rachel

OperationMove · December 8, 2014 · 3 Comments

Welcome to Meet a Mover Monday! Everyone has a story, and each week we will introduce you to one of our OpMovers so you can learn a little bit about theirs. We are all at different stages of our journeys, but we all started in the same place.

This week, say hi to Rachel.

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Who are you?

I’m Rach, I live in Wynnum – a bayside suburb of Brisbane, and I am currently a stay at home mum with 2 boys (10 and 8) and a small girl (2). I also have a husband and a beagle 🙂

When did you start running and why?

I started running in October 2013. At the beginning of that year I started walking as I was inspired to start getting healthier and fitter by Operation Move but I was adamant that I was not a runner. Then slowly the stories that people had about the benefits of running – strength, confidence, post run highs – started to get me wondering if I could do that too!

What is your favourite moving activity?

My most common distance is 5k because I can fit that in to my day pretty well but I think my favourite (so far) is 10k. I think it’s because if I’m doing 5k I feel like I should be running the whole distance but if I go further than that I don’t have that expectation on myself.

Top 3 must have gear

Good shoes that are properly fitted, sports bra and spibelt or shorts/skirt with pockets. I always carry my phone with me just in case of emergency.

Fave post moving fuel?

I don’t really have a fave but I came home from a run once and my husband cooked me up some bacon and eggs and that went down really well! I’m not good with the nutrition side of things and fuelling to support my running – something to work on 🙂

What do you listen to when you run?

Favourite songs on my playlist for running are Katy Perry Roar, Pharrell Williams Happy, Katrina and the Waves Walking on Sunshine and Kate Miller-Heidke Supergirl.

Tech lover or naked runner?

Tech lover. While I’m running I glance down at my watch too often but sometimes I can use that to my advantage and talk myself into going further by saying things like “it’s just another 200 m”, “just run for another 2 minutes”, etc. I also love looking at the stats after I have uploaded the run and being able to look back and see how far I have come.

Words of wisdom to new movers?

Take it slowly – especially if you are coming from a background of no physical exercise like I was. And consider cross training to build up strength in your legs as that will help prevent injury.

I am most proud of…

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The fact that it is over a year later and I am still running 🙂 I have never stuck to any kind of exercise regime, gym membership or classes for any length of time before so that is a huge achievement in itself for me. Also that I am planning on doing a half marathon (or two) next year! I can’t believe I am even thinking about it!

Why I don’t believe in motivation

OperationMove · December 5, 2014 · 8 Comments

I don’t really believe in motivation. I don’t. I think that on any given day all of us do things that are necessary that we would probably rather not do, but the end result is a required one. Things like making lunches and going to work or any manner of other things that have to get done. Like washing dishes. Apparently they have to be done every day. We don’t require motivation for any of those things, they just get done. Ok, maybe sometimes the dishes don’t get done every day. But eventually, they get done.

The thing is that things that are good for us, aren’t going to feel good all the time.

So I might not be particularly keen on doing the dishes but I am pretty keen on not living in squalor. So I do the dishes. I might not be keen on making dinner for fussy eaters, but I do and whenever they try something new I do a little victory dance. Motivation doesn’t come into any of that.

One day I might be really motivated and think I am going to have an awesome week with my diet and then a few hours later I find myself on my third helping of cookie ice cream deliciousness. Motivation is fickle. It comes and it goes. I don’t need motivation to eat a good diet during the week. I need planning and meals ready to go in the fridge so that when I come home ravenous I have options that are immediately available.

I don’t need motivation to exercise either. I just go. I don’t give it space in my head. I have a plan, I write it down and if it says that I am running/crossfitting that day, well that’s what I’m doing. I do it when I feel like it. I do it when I don’t feel like it. I do it when I’m looking forward to it. And I do it when I’m dreading it. Because it all leads me to exactly the same place. The place where I say, wow I am so glad I did that today.

I do believe in inspiration though. That first spark that says even though I’m completely out of shape I could do that. Inspiration becomes a goal. A goal will put fire in your belly when you are doing hard workouts. A goal will help you make decisions easily. For example is this cookie ice cream deliciousness congruent with my goal? (Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.) If my goal is to run 5 kilometres in under 25 minutes then I don’t hesitate when it comes to running gruelling intervals. Because that is what is going to get me from Point A to Point B. I believe great inspiration will push you to believe that you can. And if you can see it, you can do it.

I believe in inspiration. I believe in a community of expectation. I believe in being part of a team. But motivation? It’s a waste of your time. Because you already have everything you need.

Do you want to be great? Then start having fun.

OperationMove · July 30, 2014 · 1 Comment

I think it’s natural for slow runners to have a preoccupation with being fast. In the beginning you can notice that gap between yourself and others. And it’s that distance that you notice. It seems to stand out, screaming at you: this is why you aren’t a ‘real’ runner, or this is why you aren’t naturally gifted, or this is why you are less. And that difference can extend if people who you started running with, eclipse your efforts.

After awhile though, it’s not the difference that you notice. It’s what you have in common. Yes, even with that 10k speedster who can run 10km in 40 minutes. You have a lot in common with them. And sometimes, they see it more than you do. In the beginning at least. They don’t see how you are slow. They see your passion for running, which they share.

If like me you started running when you were carrying some extra weight, then progress can seem slow too. But of course it is. It seems amazing that I could take 30 minutes of a half marathon time in nine months but when you think about the fact that I no longer have to carry 30 extra kilos 21.1 kilometres it’s not that surprising.

People new to running might often say. I’ll never be fast. As if fast is some kind of measure of a runner’s greatness. You will be fast if you decide to be. But, I think the measure of a runners greatness is not speed. And some of the average times of road runners might surprise you.

To me, greatness is measured in getting out of bed to run when you really don’t want to. It’s in being willing to better yourself. It’s the person who stops running to support someone else. For me the greatness is in the shared experience of our sport. And ultimately if I think I was encouraging people to try running, as I tend to do being a bit runligious, I wouldn’t advocate that people try running so they can be really fast. Try running so you can experience the amazing capabilities of the human spirit on a daily basis. Try running so you can start the day in the fresh air. Try running so you can find your tribe. Try running so you can have fun. Fun is what will attract people to a sport, and it’s what will keep people engaged with a sport. And that’s why I’m all about fun.

Fun can be slow. Fun can be fast. Choose your fun.

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