A Reason to Write and Motivation Monday

Leo was gone for another weekend so E and I headed up north to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa. My mom was digging through some of my old papers from school and the random stories I wrote. Those old stories were quite entertaining to read!

Recently I've thought about the purpose of writing. What's the point? Is it just a waste of time? This gem is reason enough to take a little time to write, blog, or whatever it is you do to save your thoughts:

My first official journal entry written by the ten-year-old me

I had just returned from a hospital stay after a severe concussion and two skull fractures due to a horse-related accident. I remember parts of the accident vividly and other parts don't exist in my memory at all. I feel for my parents and how stressful that must have been on them!

Anyways, my point is that it's worth your time to write down your thoughts. My writing style has changed significantly since then and I mainly write Scriptures in my journal, but I'm still doing the same old thing - just writing.

When our kid(s) get older, I would love to share my random thoughts with them and, when we pass away, writing is a way for people to know you who didn't get the chance to meet you. I've been writing a journal for E to have when he gets older because I want him to know how much I love him and tell him about our time together when he was just a little man!

Do you write a journal or have you in the past?

Motivation Monday: Weight Lifting Tips

For Motivation Monday this week, we are sharing weight lifting tips. I'm not the most experienced person when it comes to weight lifting so I a sharing some lessons I've learned in running; some of which can apply to weight lifting.

Be Confident Enough to Rest.

Rest is one of the most important aspects of training and still one of the least-emphasized. This is when your body's physical adaptations are taking place. In Ryan Hall's book "Running with Joy", he wrote this about rest: "Many people are simply not confident enough to rest - I know I wasn't. Even now, when I am feeling insecure about my fitness, I press harder in workouts and on easy runs."

E is clearly confident enough to rest; I could learn a lesson or two from him!


If the Shoe Fits, Wear It.

If the shoe is a bit too tight, it's super worn out, or just doesn't fit your foot's build don't wear it! Running in the right shoes will save you some pain and frustration, prevent potential injuries, and possibly save a few toenails. The general rule is to replace your shoes every 300 to 500 miles. Honestly, I don't count my mileage that close but I pay close attention to how the shoe feels.

On this weekend's 10-miler, I had a little problem. My current shoes fit well except for one small worn spot in the back left heel that I didn't notice pre-run. These shoes definitely haven't covered 300 miles yet! That unnoticed worn spot in my shoe ended up digging a hole through my sock and into my heel. Little shoe issues turn into big issues when running long-distance.


Switch It Up.

Running the same distance, pace, or route every day gets really old and your body will have adapted to the repetitive training stimulus. Switch it up by trying a new route, doing a speed or hill interval workout, or going for a shorter or longer than usual run. Variety is the spice of exercise!

It was a little chilly this weekend and I was lacking motivation to go out for my 90-minute run. I ran by a snowed-in minimum maintenance road and decided to switch up my route a bit. Running that road reminded me of trail running (whic I miss a lot!) and kept things interesting. The 10 miles flew by!


Exercise with Purpose.

When you go out for a run or head to the gym for strength training, go with a plan and purpose. Each week, I focus on fitting in a day of hill/speed intervals, a tempo run, and a long run. Any other runs I can fit in will be easy or recovery days with strength training included. Instead of focusing on running a certain mileage or running every day possible, focus on completing key workouts and going from there.

Even though the treadmill can get a bit monotonous, I still opt to do hill and speed workouts indoors. The treadmill helps me to hit certain paces and it keeps me honest. AND we don't have any hills around here to run!



Eat Simple.

Like I mentioned last week, "friends don't let friends eat bacon before a hard run". If you find a pre-run snack or meal that sits well with your stomach, stick to it! GI distress can be a bit funny, but it won't be if it causes you to end a long run early or drop out of a race.

Keep it simple and don't go overboard on carb-loading before long runs or races. Eating a massive plate of spaghetti the night before a marathon probably won't do you any favors! For me, my eating habits stay the same and I do my best to listen to my body. If you feel more hungry during peak points of training, eat more but make healthy choices.

What exercising lessons have you learned?

Half Training Week 2:
MON - 3-mile easy run with E and the jogging stroller
TUES - 6-mile run, 8 x 400m intervals
WED - DVD Workout: Ripped in 30 Level 2 and 2-mile easy run with the jogger
THURS - 5-mile tempo run at 7:52~7:42/mile
FRI - 3-mile easy run
SAT - 10-mile long run
TOTAL MILEAGE - 29 miles

Comments

  1. Great tips! I love that you have an old journal to look at. I kept a journal for my son when he was younger too. It is so much fun to look at now that he is gone to college. I'll bet he enjoys it when he is older and has children of his own. He will be able to see the things he did when he was little.

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    1. Exactly, Betty! I thought I better write down these memories from when E is little because I won't be able to remember them years from now. I can barely remember what I did last week if I don't write it down!

      I'm sure the journal you wrote for your son is full of great memories! The day that E heads off to college seems so far from now, but it will come sooner than I think. Hanging on to these memories is so important :)

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  2. That old journal is precious! Glad you keep it. I remember the last time I kept a journal was year 2001. My boyfriend then, now husband read some embarrassing notes in my journal. I never kept diary since then because I am afraid someone will find it and will read things in my mind. Haha I love weight lifting, and my preference for now is dumbbell training. Thanks for such a great tips!

    herweightlossdiary.blogspot.com

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    1. Your welcome! Having someone find one of my old journals has been a fear of mine, too. I actually ended up shredding the old journals I wrote before I was a Christian; reading them over didn't really help me much and I didn't want anyone else to read them! Now my journals are mainly Scripture and little stories and struggles throughout the day; nothing too juicy for someone to read :)

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  3. I've journaled off and on. Most have bee recycled or trashed, but perhaps one or two remain in a box.

    My current journal is a monthly ditty based on my 2014 goal words- Growing Beauty. It's a simple look at the beautiful moments of each month.

    I'm enjoying the doodles, phrases, etc. without formal sentences, for it's much easier to complete with an active toddler.

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    1. Great idea for journaling with a toddler! I usually do my writing while Eli is still in bed or it's naptime. Otherwise he wants whatever pen and highlighter I have. I've noticed babies have a fascination with tearing paper, too... not so good for journaling :)

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  4. Ahh I definitely need to get new shoes.. I've had mine for over 4 years... and literally wear them everywhere and now my tendonitis is coming back!! Any recommendations? I've only worn Nike in the past!

    Love you sister! I love journaling and I LOVE that you journal to Eli! :)

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    1. Oh wow, it may be time for some new shoes! I'm not a die-hard of any brand in particular; rather I'm for whatever has a minimalist-style and is on sale :)

      My all-time favorite shoes have been "Scotts" and I got those when Ryan was sponsored by them so they were 50% off. Those shoes were so awesome... Lately I've been running in "Innov-7" shoes from leftlanesports.com - they have decent sales sometimes.

      Love you, too, and can't wait to see you again! And bake some bread... fresh bread would be perfect to eat after the fargo race :)

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