Consistency

I'm training for the Rome Marathon with Team in Training. You can find more details and support me through my personal site. I appreciate all the support I have been getting so far, from donations to personal messages.

Chilly run

This morning was our weekly long run with Team in Training. We ran 10k today along this route. It was a beautiful run, passing along Sunnybrook Park and the Blythwood Ravine. The run was in the Yonge/Eglinton area, an area I don't frequent too often. I'm discovering new and exciting parts of the City of Toronto.

But it was cold. As I write this, it's -4 C, with a high of -1 C. I learned to better prepare for next time - choose my layers carefully, hydrate, etc. But I did get there on time (8am) for the seminar. We had a seminar on nutrition, which was pretty good. A lot of us know how to eat healthy, but few of us make it a priority. I just have to do it.

Nutrition

Speaking of nutrition, the night before, I had 3 chinese buns and my leftover pork bone soup shortly before going to bed. Yea, bad idea. For one, I couldn't sleep and ended up going for a light jog at 12am. Also, that midnight "snack" came to haunt me halfway through my 10k run. I ended up stopping in the Starbucks, using the facilities, and then getting a Short Pike Place Coffee (the only coffee I had all day! ... a Short is smaller than a Tall) ... and a banana ... it costed me a dollar, but considering I didn't have breakfast, I thought it was worth it.

Lessons learned:
  • don't eat a heavy meal the night before a long run
  • eat breakfast, but don't overdo it if you're going for a medium-long run
  • high GI foods before a run, low GI / protein after for recovery
  • hydrate
Consistency

This is another lesson I learned, but I figured it deserved a paragraph of its own. Consistency. This is so tough. I've been having difficulty getting in my runs this week, and a greater problem with fundraising. With both of these things, I know what I need to do ... I just need to do it.

Some lessons I learned on how to be consistent:
  • Have a plan - it's pretty tough to be consistent if you don't know what you're supposed to do
  • Know the "why" - purpose energizes and motivates you, especially a purpose beyond yourself. For me, it's been helpful to remind myself that I'm not just doing this to go to Rome, but to help change lives and create a better future for someone
  • Community - find people who share your goals. I find I'm quite prone to peer pressure - I'm easily influenced by the people I'm with ... be they depressing people or optimistic people. This morning's run with other Team in Training participants helped motivate me to do my training runs (since there are a few fast guys there that I want to catch up to) and to do my fundraising (especially after hearing other people's stories)
  • Just do it - think not whether or not you will do it ... but how you will do it. You've already decided to do this. So get to it!
Time to put what I learn into practice :)


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