Operation Move
Online Running Coaching
A lot of time I would go out of my way to not be disappointed. I would manage expectations, prepare for it and even brush it off if it happens. But the fact is if you do feel disappointed it, there are lots of benefits to actually letting yourself feel disappointed. And like most things, whether it’s useful or destructive all comes down to what you do next.
Do you want to know what that big secret is that people who don’t struggle to train consistently week in, week out, month after month, year after year is?
They aren’t waiting until they feel like it.
They know that they are never going to wake up one morning at 5am psyched for bootcamp or amped to go for a run or jumping for joy because they’ve got that burpee box jump workout at Crossfit later.
In fact, they know they are never going to feel like it.
I once read an article that recommended running a marathon ‘how you feel on the day’. And someone commented if they were running how they felt like, they’d be walking. And it’s true of almost anything. I never feel like folding clothes or doing dishes or cooking dinner either. But I don’t expect to, so it just gets done and I don’t even think about if I feel like it or not.
But, sometimes I do feel like it, I hear you say.
And that’s true too. That weekend run where you get to sleep a bit longer and it’s your long run so it’s at a comfortable pace and you get to maybe meet up with friends after for coffee. You look forward to that. The truth is that the runs or workouts you look forward to, probably don’t happen as often as you think they might or should. And while you might feel like going for a run on occasion, that’s no competition for the grind. The grind is the three mornings a week I get up at 4am to be at Crossfit at 5am. Do I love it? Absolutely. Do I feel like it when that alarm goes off? No way! The grind is hill sprints on the steepest hill in town and not those fun 150m ones I did this week but the 300m ones that will teach you to hate your life. The grind is the same repetitive 5km run you do three times a week that never changes. The grind is getting out of bed when your muscles are having too many feelings. And the grind is even getting to bed early so you can get out of bed.
No one feels like the grind.
If you wait until you feel like it, it’s never going to happen.
So, you don’t wait. You learn that it doesn’t matter whether you feel like it or not. In fact you get so good at it, that you don’t even notice if you feel like it anymore. Your brain has helpfully shuttled that information off into the non-relevant pile a long time ago.
Did you know that some of our genes are only expressed if we are exposed to the cold? So at a basic level, if you want to adapt you have to be willing to experience discomfort.
That’s the secret.
It’s not that some people are super motivated, they are just independent to motivation. You are never going to feel like it. So don’t wait.
And to celebrate, I talk about why motivation isn’t as mysterious as you might think it is. And how The Hulk can help you to understand it better.
If you’d like to chat or have a question, head into the community group or email me.
It’s not the most exciting thing to talk about it, but it’s definitely the thing that most people struggle with! So I dive into:
Also, I’ve ventured into the land of YouTube. You can check out the training diary here:
Just head over to the Community Group on Facebook or send me a message.
The tricky part about excuses is that they seem so reasonable. This week we talk about: