Running in the New Year
Every time I go on vacation I get The Question:
Hey Jen, are you going to run on your vacation?
Frosty Toes
The answer is always yes. I am. As a matter of fact one of the reasons I so love vacation is that I get all the time in the world (ha!) to do all the things I love to do but don’t have time for in a normal day. Actually, well that used to be the case. Now I have 20 or 30 minutes to run, but that will do just fine.
So on our most recent jaunt up to the Canada land I did, in fact, run. Frequently, actually. and it was fabulous.
In early December I set a goal for myself on Nike+ to run 16 times in four weeks. Now, normally, four runs a week isn’t such a hefty goal. But when you factor in the torrential rains we received in mid- to late-December, coupled with some shin splint loveliness, combined with travel, snow, snowboarding, and more travel… welllll… suffice it to say I ended up having to run pretty much every single day that I was physically able to do so (read: not in 5 meters of snow).
But it was wonderful! This goal got me out there on days when I’d much rather have stayed curled up by the fire with my copy of Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra that I got for Christmas. Once I was out, even on the coldest day, I was invariably glad I went. I was out on Christmas day, and New Year’s day, and in the rain. I’m not usually that hard core. But the Nike+ kicked my ass into gear and forced me to be. Not a bad little gadget.
Now here I am honing in on my goal with two days and two runs left.
But you guys. All of that work and today? I just up and went out to lunch. I didn’t run. I tell myself I’ll go after my staff meeting. I have TWO DAYS LEFT and I need both of them to meet this goal. Sure, it’s just a stupid website where I set an arbitrary goal for myself but still. I am so close! So now I’m not just accountable on the Nike+ site, I’m also accountable here. I’m keeping myself honest. I must finish this damn thing. all that work. I can’t just let it be for naught.
so tell me: how do you motivate and stay committed? do you need someone there to whom you are accountable or are you internally possessed to just do it (as they say…)
a little barefoot 