Mental Motivation

Today, I told you that you were going to go out and run 5 miles without worrying about the time- we would just run and I would let you know (by distance markers) how long we had to go as we progressed through the course. We set off and as we get to the final mile mark, I let you know that we only have 1 more to go. We are now 1/2 mile away from the finish and you tell yourself, "just hang in there..just about 4 more minutes." We hit the finish and I break the news to you, "congrats, you just ran 7 miles." You can't believe it. We were just going to run 5. You mentally prepared yourself for 5- how did we just run 7?

Most times, we place mental barriers on ourselves when we focus on pure numbers- in this case, mileage. You mentally prepared yourself for 5 miles, yet your body could go the extra 2. Had you just run 5, you would have been (at mile 4) telling yourself- 1 more to go. But, you truly had enough in you to go the extra 3. I am not suggesting that you do this every workout- or that you even have the energy to do this every run. But, it is amazing what your mind tells your body to do if you place set limits or barriers on yourself. No limits=no barriers to reaching your goals.

I use this example for the scale, too. Some people have specific expectations for their weight- and most people have a "goal" weight. If you took the focus off of this number and placed your mental efforts in the methods you need to take to get there (eating right, exercising) your weight will come off- trust me.

So, today- practice positive mental motivation, without barriers. Truly believing that the sky is the limit is a great way to believe in your capabilities. If you tell yourself to only workout "this" hard, that is what you can expect- but, if you go in with the thought that you will work out as hard as you possibly can- you will surpass the "this" and you just might hit an all-time height in your physical image and strength.

First Big Brick

Yesterday was my first big brick workout in preparation for Ironman Wisconsin. I had a 60 mile ride/14 mile run on the schedule, so I had to get myself "ready" for it- both physically and mentally. Saturday was a planned DAY OFF on the schedule and trust me, I took it. I knew that my nutrition was going to be key, and I am going to be strictly following a nutrition plan during my training rides and runs that will mimic race day.

Saturday: I went to Sports Chalet and bought some Power Bar Gels- 6 of them. I also bought a couple of Clif Bars in case I needed it- along with some Gatorade for hydration. I wouldn't have bought so many Gels had the weather not been fore casted to be in the 90's. But, I thought I would use the Gels as my sodium replenishment as well- since there is some sodium in those things. Saturday night, I went out with a friend and had some salad and pasta. I also had some ice cream for dessert- a big cheat, but thought if I was going to do it, that tonight was the night. I went to bed by 10:30 and set the alarm for 6am.

Sunday: Alarm went off and I re-set it for 7am. I thought I could buy one more hour of sleep and still get out of the front door by 8am. I got up at 7, made my oatmeal, pumped my tires up, filled my water bottles, got dressed, and was on my way.

Workout: My plan was to ride out to Santa Paula on the 126 and back. It was really pleasant weather-wise, so that was nice. Had to stop once to use the potty, but then got right back on. Rode to the turnaround in 1 hour/40 mins. I headed back to Santa Clarita and got back to the house 10 minutes off of pace-but there was more climbing on the way back. I transitioned and the time was 3 hours, 28 minutes. I through on my running stuff- including my hat and fuel belt. I also grabbed a water bottle to carry with me the entire time. It was 11:20am, but getting close to 90 degrees outside. I set off at a pretty easy pace and had a goal of a 2 hour run- I would drive it later to see how far I went. I had felt really good on my ride, and the first 30 minutes of the run, I felt ok- but, knew I was just warming up. I had to keep my heart rate down- as I wanted to keep it around 150. It never got up above 160, and didn't go down below 150. I finished the run in a total run time of 2:12 (2 hours, 12 minutes). I drove the course later and I had ran a total of 14 miles.

After I was done, I went upstairs and took a cold bath- jumped right in with my running clothes on. I soaked my legs and it felt really good. My legs definitely needed it, as they were still sore from the big run I had on Friday. Overall, it was a great first brick workout!

Great job to Rachel, by the way, who is now officially an IRONMAN! She finished Ironman Lake Placid in 12 hours, 43 minutes. Great Job to her!

Stop The Bad Talk

Have you ever said any of these 'lead-in' statements...

1. I can't...
2. I don't...
3. I will try...
4. I've never...
5. I don't think...

I have. I am sure you have. I'm O.K. with it, but only once in a while. If you are saying these things on a constant basis, take note. Your thinking controls your feelings. That is, if you are always approaching tasks within the realm of life (i.e. workouts, family, work. friends) with the attitude of "I will let things happen to me" rather than, "I will make things happen," you will- in fact- get what you expect.

It is not easy to think positively. It takes a bit of effort to believe in yourself and sometimes, it is just not fun because not everyone can do it- only about 10% of my clients enter the gym with a bounce in their step and a glow on their face. I try to find a way to motivate them- getting them thinking about a goal for their workout, reminding them that they have 1 hour to give as much effort and energy as they can, or threatening them (in case they don't snap out of their bad attitude) to come run outside with me for a mile, at my pace. They usually chose the former 2 rather than the latter- however, I have been close to dragging a few of my clients outside with me because their negative self talk was just too loud.

So, instead of the lead-ins that you are used to- try these instead:

INSTEAD OF:
1. I can't...I WILL
2. I don't...I CAN
3. I will try...I WANT TO
4. I've never...I CAN LEARN
5. I don't think...I'VE GOT MY MIND SET ON

Trust me. You will soon be thinking more positively and it should make a huge difference in how you feel and- best of all- how you look.

6 Ways To Shake Your Workout Blues

If you love to workout, an hour a day, each day of the week- you are a rare breed- or you are lying to yourself. Not to say you don't like to workout, but there are days where even the toughest workout warriors struggle. How to get past this feeling? Here are my Top 5 Ways to Shake Your Workout Blues:

1. Do Your Routine Backwards: If you have a set routine in the gym that you have been doing now for a few weeks, and you are almost about to jump to a new one- before you do, you can flip your routine up and do it backwards as long as you are still focusing on some big muscle groups first. It will give you the same benefits as your original program, but mentally, it will challenge you a bit more.

2. State Your Goal: If you don't have something to work toward (goal-wise), your means of getting there will be unfocused and unclear. You need to have a REASON for working out- whether it be to stay healthy, to do 5 pull ups, or to get into your size 6 jeans. If you don't have a goal, you will not have a plan- and, you are setting yourself up for failure.

3. Set An Appointment with a Friend: If you have a workout buddy, you are less likely to cancel.

4. On Your "Days Off", do something that is active, yet fun: Since it is summertime, you can take advantage of going out in the sunshine to do some activities that are still beneficial health-wise, and will work you out without going to the gym EVERYDAY. Some examples of this would be: rollerblading, swimming with your kids in the ocean, hiking in the local mountains, take a walk at sunrise before it gets too hot, or set up a "race" at the park and get your kids (or the local kids on your block) to take part in neighborhood relays- that way, your kids can brag that their mom/dad is still in-shape and just the "coolest."

5. Buy a New Outfit: What better way to look forward to a workout than to buy some new sexy workout clothes? If you are not feeling sexy on the outside, good chance you are not going to portray this through your workout- and, end result: your body will not be that sexy thing you desire it to be. Go out and dress yourself up in some new digs. You will soon become the envy of all of your workout buddies!

Last but not least...

6. Update your IPOD with some new Tunes: This is one of the best ways to get motivated for a workout- some new music. Every two months, I will buy some new tunes, and trust me- I not only look forward to my workouts, but I am energized and have lots of fun.

Get out there now and train- NO EXCUSES!

Adjust For the Heat

If you are anything like me, you want to give 110% to every workout, every day- no matter the situation. Maybe you are on your recovery week, as you have just raced on Sunday, and Monday you want to hit it hard again and pick up where you left off. Or, perhaps you know you are fighting a bug, but you can't miss this "brick" workout because you have an important race coming up in 2 weeks and it might set you back- so, you do it anyway. Or, you only have time to workout in the heat of the day and you want to put in the same 10K time as you did, 3 days ago, when you ran at 8am and it was 20 degrees cooler. Trust me, I have been there- in each of these situations, and if you continue pushing yourself in this matter without ADJUSTING FOR THE SITUATION, you will find yourself overtrained, tired, injured, or unmotivated.

This specific rant is focused on ADJUSTING FOR HOT WEATHER. If you are focused on training smart and with purpose, you must drop it down a notch when the summer heat beats down on you. Here are 5 BEST hot weather training tips that you can abide to when training this summer.

1. HYDRATE WITH ELECTROLYTE DRINKS AS WELL AS WATER. Don't forget a fluid mix that contains not only calories from carbohydrates, but also sodium. This will replenish the salt that you are losing because of sweat to keep you going longer and harder.

2. FOR EVERY 5 DEGREES IT IS OVER 80 DEGREES, GO 30 SECS LESS ON YOUR 10k PACE. This might seem confusing, but if you normally run 7:00 mile pace on an 80 degree day, but it is 85 today, try running at 7:30 min/mile pace. This is simply a guideline, but when training, you must adjust your pace to the weather. Be smart.

3. GO INSIDE FOR YOUR CROSS TRAINING SESSIONS. I am not a huge proponent of working out indoors while training for a triathlon- after all, specificity takes precedence. However, if it gets too hot outdoors, take a spin class inside at you local gym, or run on the treadmill for a change. This is better than skipping a workout all together.

4. PLAN AHEAD. Weather.com is a great resource for checking the weather 5 days in advance. If you see a cooling front coming on, adjust your training schedule so that your bigger workouts are during those cooler days. If that is not possible, see #3.

5. RECOVER. After a tough summer workout, you may not feel very hungry after. But, you need to refuel. One of my favorite recovery drinks (make sure your drink is rich in carbohydrates and protein- at least 300 calories if you are 150 lbs) is Surge. Check it out here: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459244. Make sure that you drink your recovery drink within 5-10 minutes of finishing your workout for maximum recovery. Surge is also "light" and refreshing- not heavy. So, you actually look forward to your workouts because you get to drink it after.

Enjoy your summer workouts and remember, adjust for the heat!