Where the hard work is done
We all have our weakness – that one type of weather, crowd, training plan, ab workout, time of day that just puts us on our knees figuratively. Mine is all of these at different times. I can let any of theses factors turn my mood and motivation south.
Cold weather is a huge negative factor for me. When we are blessed with cold weather, it is a little different from some places that can enjoy cold weather. Our humidity averages around 75% year-round. That doesn’t change much in our very short winter. When we have an “arctic blast”, it usually puts our temps down into the 20′s. Since it is usually a storm that brings these cold fronts through, they are usually accompanied by ice or at least very high humidity. All of this to say that I am not much for running in the cold weather. It is usually a very nasty and wet activity. During the holiday break, I had such a chance to run. The temp was around 35, the humidity was around 96% and it was raining/sleeting. I was mentally listing the things I hate about cold weather and running, in general. All of a sudden a new thought came into my head – “this is where the hard work is done”.
Those times when everyone else is home on the couch. The times when you would rather be doing anything else. The times when you run just a little faster than normal even though you are tired. Those are the times when you are doing the hard work. Of course, no one knows about these times. But, they do get to see the result of them. That thought pushed me through that run and has pushed me through several difficult training moments since then.
The reason it helps is because I have realized that this whole diet/training thing is a game of inches and degrees. You would drive yourself crazy thinking about each split time, each pace, each strength training routine. The important thing is that you do it. Don’t let a bad paced run cause you to not want to run the next time. If you are doing the work consistently, you will improve. It is important that you watch your calorie/fat intake, but don’t let a bad day cause you to abandon your plans and revert to old, bad habits. If you are consistently working at it, you will get results.
This morning the pool was full. I hate sharing a lane with another swimmer. I know that many of you have to do that on a regular basis, but I don’t. So, sharing does not feel natural and it bugs me the whole time. This morning I had to wait about 20 minutes, then share a lane for about 10 minutes. Of course, my attitude become poor right away. Then, I felt a little smile forming ….
because this is where the hard work is done.
Oh – another excellent post Uncommon Girl! You are so right about where the hard work is done! I really like your perspective here. For me, the hard work is this: I don’t do well when I’m working out alone. This is when I tend to skip workouts. That’s one reason why I haven’t been good about going to spinning class or the pool. Okay – tomorrow I’m getting up going!
p.s. I can’t imagine running in 75% humidity! And you do this all the time!
Swingset
January 22, 2010
You are very right. For some reason running 2 weeks ago when it was so cold was rewarding because people seemed to think I was nuts, but I thought, “nope…just determined”.
Melissa
January 23, 2010