Self-Talk

I'm finding more and more that a lot of running, or any kind of exercise really, is all about attitude and being able to talk yourself through it when it gets hard.  I watched my friends husband on the Biggest Loser this week.  I enjoy that show and watching the people feel successful in their journey.  Having someone I know on the show adds another layer of inspiration.  One of the things that has always stood out to me is the way the trainers talk to the participants.  They all have different styles, some harsher than others.  But basically all they are doing is being the Self-Talk for the person because that person's Self-Talk isn't there or is to quiet.

What do I mean by Self-Talk?  Well, it's how you talk to yourself to keep moving, keep going, work through the pain.  Tonight I did one mile of intervals.  I was running on the track and had to do a three mile run.  I decided that for the second mile I would run as fast as I could on the straight stretches and walk on the corners.  Each interval got a little slower (which I know is normal) and harder.  I had finished three laps doing this and had one more to go, which meant two more sprints.  I was whining in my head and then I decided that I could do it.  I can do anything two times.  So I finished that lap with sprints.  Next I had decided before my run that I would run the first mile, intervals the second mile and then run the last mile.  I got two laps into my last mile and I was tired and everything was starting to hurt and I was considering walking.  Then I realized that I only had two laps to go and as I had decided earlier, I can do anything two times.  So I finished up my run as planned.

Two different times during this run my body and brain tried to convince me to slow down or quit.  Two different times my Self-Talk got me through it and I kept going.  I don't have Jillian, Bob or Dolvett yelling at me and getting in my face to keep me moving.  I have to do it for myself.  That hasn't been easy for me in the past but I'm working on it.

Success is coming.  I am seeing a small increase in my average speed over the last week which is a good feeling.  My scale is reflecting some changes.  I will share in a few days when I'm sure that it is a stable loss and not a fluctuation.   :-) I am tired this week after going back to work but I am not as exhausted as I was feeling last month so I'm hopeful the B12 is working.  I am having to let some things go in order to get my runs in.  My house still has Christmas lights on it and I have decorations still out.  I'll take care of it this weekend.  I can only do so much and I'm trying to learn to put myself first.  Not an easy task for a working wife and mother.  There is always so much to get done.

I did 1/2 hour of cross-training yesterday, arm exercises with weights (per my nutritionist) and crunches.  Tomorrow I'm supposed to do one hour of cross-training so I will repeat that and add 1/2 hour swim.  We will see how it goes.  :-)

My good friend Faylene posted a meme on Facebook today for me.  Another good reminder that I'm WAY ahead of people that aren't doing anything.  It said "6 minutes or 16 minutes, a mile is still a mile."

Here's my run information for today:

Keep Moving!!!