My reward for working an hour after school on Friday was a cold, rainy afternoon. Life is ironic at time. It would not have been that bad, except that I had a 4-mile run scheduled. After a long week of school, it would have been so easy to just scrap the run and enjoy the evening with my husband. But I had scheduled my run and so I treated myself to run on the trail where there was some tree coverage from the rain. If I had not purposefully planned not only the run, but the distance, I would have had an easier time of skipping it altogether. Not that I didn't think about it on about mile 3, but I knew that I had already written down what I was doing and I didn't want to go back on my own schedule. I was faced with similar temptations on my 5-mile run before an early football game on Saturday morning and a bench press session on Sunday afternoon when a nap would have been greatly enjoyed. I have learned that I have to do more than just plan a time for my runs and training sessions, I have to decide what I am going to accomplish each time. I write down the length of the run or the exercises I plan on doing, including weights, reps, and sets that I will accomplish. It is a contract with myself that I will do. Taking out the guess work takes out the negotiation with myself. Instead of planning on doing a workout .... I plan it, write it down, and then I do it. It sounds easier than it is and it takes practice and planning on a daily basis just like any habit. The goal setting and positive mental chat is something I have had to learn from my trainer this past year. The payoff is that I feel good about following through with my plans that will get me closer to my goals. And running 9 miles in less than 18 hours and having a 90 minute lifting session makes me feel productive with my weekend. Taking care of myself takes time to plan and do, but it is worth it. I am worth it.
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