The Race Is Over...Now What?!

Hello All!!!!

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I did!  I had 2 Thanksgiving dinners actually... nom nom nom... good thing I did a Turkey Trot ;)

So first of all, the Turkey Trot!!  Let me just say a Congrats to Molly Reidy, Bridget Reidy, Cheryl Nazareno, Emily Hoss, Alex Teska, Dan Choi, and my Dad on a great race, way to get out there and put forth the effort.  I am sure you all felt awesome after completing the race!!  I must admit I was nervous for the race due to all the crazy weather reports but in the end, it turned out to be a great race day!  For those of you who were not there, lets recap.....

So I got to the race around 7am and before I knew it, it was time to start!!  I ran the 10K in under an hour (barely but did it) so I was pleased but definitely slowed down in the second half of it.  I ran the first 3 miles in 26:13 and thought "wow, I can run this thing in under 55 minutes if I keep this pace up!" but alas, this was not the case.  I had some tummy issues at mile 4 and had to push pretty hard to run a 9:30ish mile. But then I saw that finish line right around the corner and man did I take off.  Its amazing how tired and breathless you can feel, and when you realize how close you are its a ridiculous adrenaline rush, and suddenly you cant stop your legs from pumping into a full-on sprint!  Amazing.

So now what?  The race is over, it is pretty much December, and there are not many races left in 2010.  Maybe a 5K here and there, but real "race season" doesn't start up again til around March (if you live in Michigan that is).  So how do we stay motivated to keep going?  I know for me, signing up for races is a GREAT motivator because well, you have to train for the race so you don't embarrass yourself (or waste your money).  But when all the racing is done, and the running is just up to you now all on your own, how do you keep pushing yourself?  It is no easy task trust me....

Sure, you figure you can take a day or two off after the race...after all, you over-exerted yourself that day.  Then that turns into a week, a month, next thing you know you totally lost your endurance and have to start at square one!  I know this kind of ties back into my earlier post about staying motivated to run, but you can never have too much motivation!  At least, I dont think so haha.  So here are some tips to keep running, and at a good distance too!  If you ran a 5K, then you can run more than a mile when you go out to run, just push yourself!  Here are some ideas...

1.  Plan to run a distance you have yet to complete in the coming year.  Example, I would like to run a half marathon by June, and I know that since I have never even ran 10 miles before, I need to keep up my endurance now in order to train for the race.  If you just ran your first 5K, maybe try a 10K!

2.  Staying in shape, I mean I know how amazing it feels that I am getting back into great shape.  Think hard (if you can) about how amazing it feels to cross a finish line, to feel like you pushed yourself farther than you did before, how it feels after an amazing workout or run.  I know whether the run is rough or moderate, I usually always feel very accomplished and more alive and awake when all is said and done!

3.  The body!  Of course runners have some of the best bods, I mean, all that cardio??  Can you say flat tummies and amazing legs?  Yes please!!  The more you run, the closer you will be to that.  Plus, food is a runners friend, including plenty of carbs!  Not many diets can include all the carbs that a runners diet does, but runners need to eat plenty of calories and carbs, so enjoy your food and still have the great body!

4.  Run because you know you want to, you KNOW that you can do it, you just have to push yourself.  I almost did not run tonight, I was pretty close to not doing it and guess what?  I decided to get out there in the pitch black 630pm night, bundle up, and I ran 3.5 miles in like 28 minutes.  I felt awesome (and still do) after that run.  I knew I could do it, I just had to go out there and do it.  As cliche as this sounds, it is a lot like the Nike motto, Just Do It.  Literally, don't think about why you can't, why it is too hard, why you don't *feel like it*, just go and get dressed, stretch, and JUST DO IT!!!  The sooner you do it, the sooner it will be done and you will feel awesome.

5.  As a rule of thumb lately, I try to set mileage numbers or amounts of days to run a week.  Example, right now I will not allow myself to have more than 1 day in between runs.  I still let myself take a break (and eventually I will give myself less breaks) but if I go 1 day without running, I make myself get out there the next day.  And I make sure I run at least 3 miles (depending on any time constraints I may have).

So there you go!  Just because the race is over is no excuse to stop running!  If you haven't ran since your Turkey Trot, then it is time to get back out there!  A few days is ok but it is known that if you take off more than 2 weeks from running, your endurance will start to drop.  Example, you ran a 10K this week and you will not run ONCE for 2 weeks after that race (or more) next time you run, that 10K will be a lot harder to achieve.  Your endurance in your muscles and in your breathing will start to lessen, so make sure you keep that up!!

Hope this helps, happy running!  Now go out there and JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!