Newly Found Motivation

After Ironman Arizona, I told myself that this season was going to be all about FUN!  I didn't want to do anything huge where I had to follow a strict training plan, and I wanted to take up trail running because it is something I've always wanted to do.  The problem lately though is that I just haven't been having very much fun.

For some reason, I decided to sign up for a 50k on June 1st.  The race is called the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty.  I saw the race, and thought, "This sounds like fun," so I signed up for it!  But, I don't know what I was thinking!  Take a look at the elevation profile..YIKES!:

While I am excited about doing the race, the problem is that I have REALLY been struggling with finding my motivation to get out there and run.  I don't have a problem with the short runs, but the long runs are KILLING me!  I find myself dreading the run, putting it off until the last minute, and sometimes even bailing out before I even put in the full distance.  For something like a 50k, this is NOT an option.

I am a firm believer that the mental aspect of training/racing is just as important as the physical.  When I start a run with negative thoughts, it is doomed from the start.  I KNOW this, yet I can't seem to shake it.  I'm NOT having fun with my running, and it is really bothering me.

Source

So, when I found out that Scott Jurek was giving a talk at REI about motivation and what it takes to do ultras I signed up as fast as I could!  For those of you who don't know who Scott Jurek is, he is one of the top ultrarunners in the country...he is AMAZING!  You can read all about him HERE.   

He didn't talk about training or nutrition, but he did talk about the one thing that I really needed: motivation.  His presentation really went into the mental aspect of what it takes to go long and it was awesome!  A lot of what he talked about could be applied to all sports as well as all aspects of life.  It was just what I needed to kick my butt into gear, stop making excuses, stop having all the NEGATIVE thoughts, and get out there and RUN!!!

 This is a picture of him in front of a slide of his new book coming out in June.  He said he wanted to write a book not only about aspects of training for ultras, but as a vegan, he wanted to incorporate the nutrition side of it too!  As a vegetarian/almost vegan, I am really excited for this book to come out!  You can be sure I will be one of the first to order it! :)

At the end of the presentation he sat down to sign posters for whoever wanted one.  I stood in line for about 10min. to get one of those!  :)  I have to admit I felt really small  next to him...look how tall he is! Ha ha!

Not only did I leave there with a bunch of awesome goodies, but I left there with a new sense of motivation...which is just what I needed!









Oh..and if you're wondering about the "chop wood" comment on the poster, he talked about it in his presentation.  There is a saying that goes, "If you're going to chop wood, chop wood."  Basically it means that no matter what you're doing, weather you're running long, training for a tri, or working on a huge presentation, you need to focus and put all your energy into what you're doing at that moment and don't let any other outside forces (negative thoughts, life stresses, etc..) get in your way.  LOVE IT!