Daily Archives: December 2, 2012

Without a Training Plan

Since Marine Corps, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about racing, and I’ve toyed with signing up for about 15 different marathons next year and twice as many halfs…

Screen shot 2012-12-02 at 9.44.36 PM.png

But as for actually running? Yeah…you could say my motivation has waned a bit.

Yesterday, I sat around for much of the day doing nothing (hello, all or nothing: I either am doing ALL THE THINGS or I am a bump on a log on my couch) and attempting to get motivated to run. I had no planned run with a buddy and no goal race that I’m working towards, and so the run didn’t happen.

But I did go lift.

lift_things_up_and_put_them_down.jpg.jpg

Who am I? I chose lifting over running?

I’m glad I have this new strength thing (and Jess!) to keep me motivated because this is definitely A Thing for me post-marathon. Despite not being a super Type-A person (trust me, come look at my desk and then let’s also talk about my hatred for spreadsheets), I really like the structure a training plan gives my life, and especially my weekends.

hero_shop_brooklyn.jpg.jpg

(I loved the painting on the side of this deli.)

Anyway, I needed a good run with my running buddy Rebecca, so I texted her last night to ask if we could run together. She had brunch plans so she asked if I could come to Brooklyn to run with her. I’m usually too lazy to get on the subway to run, but I knew running with her was the only way I’d make myself run today. The train was having issues (ON THE WEEKEND, SHOCKER) and I ended up being late to meet up with her so we only had a bit of time to run together.

That little bit of running time with someone else was all I needed to motivate myself again. She left me sort of near Prospect Park, and I was going to run back to a subway stop closer to Manhattan to maximize run time and minimize train time. She gave me directions, and I didn’t even look at my phone once to get back to Borough Hall. (I have a serious lack of navigational skills.) I started my watch without waiting for it to find satellites, so I don’t know how far I ran, but I ran for an even 60 minutes, so I’m guessing about 6 miles.

borough hall brooklyn.jpg.jpg

Hello, Borough Hall. Happy holidays to you, too! The city getting decked out for the holidays is making me so happy. I got my tree last night, and I love how it makes my apartment smell. Also, pro tip to New Yorkers? Whole Foods (or at least the Chelsea one) has trees for cheaper than the street vendors do.

Do you do better with or without a training plan? I generally do better with, but I usually need just a little time between races without a formal one to prevent burnout.