Thanks for all the motivation comments on my last post! I totally agree with Paula, she said the time off will be my motivation. And Kara was nice enough to remind me that I risk getting eaten by wild animals during the 50K, so I better get my ass in gear. This months Runner's World also had an article on deciding when you need recovery days, and I had a number of the symptoms they listed. Namely, crankiness. They recommended an easy or off day.
I think its not helping that this week has been pretty rough at work, but at least I have a job. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.
This morning as I was laying in bed pushing snooze for the fourth time I decided to run without my Garmin. All these blogs claim its so "freeing", but the one time I purposely did it after my first marathon was awful. The rare occasions where I have forgotten it and it ran out of batteries sucked too. But I knew my run would be slow this morning based on recent history and the fact that it was already over 70 degrees. So I decided that instead of berating myself for being too slow for the entire time, I would just take the pressure off. I still plan on using it 99.9% of the time, but it was nice to have a break this morning. I automatically reached over to pause it when I had to tie my shoe though - addicted much?
I also ran without music. I'm about to have another absolutely epic weekend that I have been waiting for for YEARS, but the next alone time I'll have will be pretty much when I go to bed Monday night. So five miles alone with my thoughts sounded pretty good.
Today is my favorite day of the school year - FIELD DAY!! The perfect antidote to my workout/job slump. I love spending the day outside, getting to compete with my kids and actually getting to hang out with them, instead of being a drill sergeant forcing them to learn because God forbid we get one day behind on the math curriculum. I keep encouraging them to train and I'm not joking. I take it pretty seriously and we better beat the other classes.
So yesterday I was in a pretty bad mood on my way to work, but then Don't Stop Believing came on the radio when I was turning onto the street my school is on. So I blasted it and rocked out despite the fact that I was already in the parkinglot surrounded by students, teachers, and parents, and refused to get out of the car until I was done. It significantly improved my life.
Today I made the official switch from hot coffee to iced coffee! What do you prefer? Or are you one of those crazies who doesn't even drink coffee?
Getting out of the house usually helps me. Going for a run or shopping for something that I totally don't need. Like another bottle of nailpolish to add to my collection of 300 bottles. But it's a DIFFERENT shade of the same color. I need it!
ReplyDeleteA run usually helps my mood, or a good yoga class. Some times I just need 30 minutes alone (like baby and husband free) recharge.
ReplyDeleteI don't drink coffee, but I do prefer iced tea to hot tea :)
Do you watch Glee? If you don't, that show will get you out of a bad mood. I knocked it for a really long time, but then I started watching the 1st season on netflix instant while I was on the treadmill during the rain and it was AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteI am NOT a crazy who doesn't drink coffee :). I prefer it hot. I believe that some drinks are meant to be hot and some cold and changing it up is gross. Tea and coffee always have to be hot for me. Speaking of which, I want another cup of coffee.
Sometimes a nice, cold beer does the trick. Or a fast run where I can hammer out my frustrations.
ReplyDeleteI'm a hot coffee drinker year-round.
I do all the normal bad mood fixes, but my favorite weird one is going to get an eyebrow wax. It's a cheap way for me to feel 75% better about my face :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm a TOTAL iced coffee addict. And I still drink it in the winter because I way prefer it now.
Good for you on the unplugged run. I'm way too dependent on my gadgets.
oh I LOVE FIELD DAY!!! haven't thought about that in a while, man it was great. I was soooo the fastest girl, by miles, and one year I raced so many boys to prove I was faster than them too that I threw up the cupcake I ate beforehand. hehe.
ReplyDeleteThe hot coffee --> ice coffee observation is an AWESOME way to mark the changing seasons. Good call!
I like hot and iced coffee. I get iced coffee in the winter sometimes. But it has officially become iced coffee season. When it's 75 already in the morning and getting up to 90 I can't think about a hot drink!
ReplyDeleteI am a Garmin addict... I can't run without it. And it kills me when the battery dies. If I DO run without it, I come home and gmap-pedometer it, so I can still log the miles. Pathetic, I know. My runs aren't even counting for anything right now since I am not signed up for a next event yet.
I think I go for a run when I'm in a bad mood. Or I stop and treat myself to a beverage from Starbucks or DD. Running errands will sometimes distract me too.