Monday, August 15, 2011

Motivation Monday

I wanted to share this post with you. Traci is a friend who I met last summer. She started coming to my outdoor boot camps. Through exercise and cleaning up her diet, she became, what her husband refers to her as, the incredible shrinking woman! I am inspired by her and her determination to succeed as a athlete in her adult life. I'm sure you will be too! Check out her blog http://www.can'tneverdidanything!.blogspot.com/

The Proof is in the Pudding!

Consistency is key to the success of any goal you set. I know this first hand. This past week proved to me that the patience I have given to the process and my determination to achieve each goal is paying off. I know it's difficult to remain true to your objectives when the process is challenging and the results are slow to come. Setting small achievable goals helps if you remain consistent to the process and determined to succeed.

I started running 3 years ago now, and my goal at that time was to be able to run 5 minutes straight, next to run a mile and then to run a 5k. My next goal was to run a 5k faster than my first and so on. If you told me then that I would eventually run a marathon I would have truly laughed out loud! That wasn't my goal then, I was deliberate in setting short term achievable goals. Last week we ran a mile time trial at running club. This is where you go to a track and run a mile as fast as possible. I ran a 7:35 mile....are you kidding me? I know there are people who are running miles in the 4 - 5 minute range... but they aren't me. I ran a 7:35 which is 45 seconds faster than the time trial I ran 9 months earlier.

I started biking before I began running. I was sticking to the trails and taking my time all the while Becky & Rhonda, my sister in-laws, were biking on the road to train for their first triathlon. Secretly I wanted to ride on the road more than anyone knew, but I kept riding the trails until I felt strong enough to try the road. I will never forget the first time I went out with the "big kids". Becky stayed with me, even though she was training for her own event, and as we were climbing hills she was coaching me all the way. When it got really tough, and it did, she told me to watch her pedals as she attempted to pull me up the hills. And when I told her I had to walk my bike up the bigger hills, she walked with me. I can't tell you how much that meant to me...it was that day that I told myself that can't was no longer an option and that would be the last time I would push a bike up a hill (well not really) but I made a pact with myself not to give up on myself, that I could get up those hills. Last weekend I participated in the same sprint triathlon that Becky & Rhonda were training for that first summer I attempted to climb those hills. This was my second time doing this race - shaving 8 minutes off last years overall time and I rode that that bike course the fastest I ever have. Unbelievable!!

On Sunday, my workout was to climb 10 hills to be named by my coach Joella. I had no idea what was coming but I had heard rumors about one of the climbs and believe me I was more nervous about this ride than I was about the race the day before! I had no idea what was in store for me that day but I knew I would do my best no matter what. I climbed hills that I know for sure I would have walked even last year. It was such a good feeling as I reached the top of each climb, huffing and puffing but still seated securely on my bike. Oh and I wasn't the last person up the hill either but I was sure to encourage them as I descended past them, knowing that if they keep at it, they won't be next time either.

You need to celebrate your victories, all of them, the small ones and the ones that blow your mind. Create a plan and stick to it....I can't tell you how good it feels when you can measure your success. The proof is in the Pudding!!
 

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