Friday, October 13, 2006

Warning: I am about to get introspective on your asses!

Motivated by the ever growing weight of reponsibility as a member of a blog community (or perhaps the ever growing weight of my ass and thighs) I hit the treadmill today. If my running log does not deceive me, the last time I ran was September 9th. What the hell have I been thinking? (This is where I get introspective - fast forward if need be.)

How does a person go from running 20 miles a week to sitting on the couch cramming fistfuls of potato chips into his/her mouth for more than a month? This is my standard M.O.:

- work out hard
- get into good shape
- trick myself into thinking that it will last, regardless of what I eat or how much/little I exercise
- find myself starting from square 1

I have several theories. The first is that I am a glutten for punishment. I am a masochist, and I like to think I am a martyr. I like to complain about how sore I am. How hard it is. Boo hoo hoo. Poor Julie. I totally get that about myself (and yes, I have known this about myself for quite some time!) The second theory, I am just a lazy s.o.b. I get burnt out on running and can't keep it up. The third theory, I like to use stress about writing my dissertation and applying for jobs as an excuse (see: theory one), when in fact I manage to find plenty of time to watch crappy tv with potato chips in hand. I am sure there are plenty of other theories. The point is, this happens to me at least once or twice a year. Geez!

OK, you can start reading again. Here are the stats about my run:

Time: 29:40
Distance: 3 mi
Overall Impression: Really Stupidly Hard and I Want To Kick Myself In The Ass For Not Having Kept Running (RSHAIWTKMITAFNHKR)

The good news is that I am gonna do it tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that! By the way, while sitting here I am started to really feel the positive effects of the run. I am in a better mood than I have been for weeks. If my body had a Mentos commercial, it would be the "Endorphine Maker."

3 comments:

Sixpack Chopra said...

Whew! I survived even the introspection. You're not alone there darling. I can't speak for the Pacemaker, but I certainly have troubles keeping the motivation going. How many times has it just been easier to stay in bed for a little longer, or to cancel the run for a trip to Sonoma. It's easy to do and harder to get back on the horse after you've fallen off. Like that time when Ennis' horse got spooked and he had to walk all the way back to camp. Keep it up though! It's awesome that you realize your own problems with it. As they say, admitting you have a problem is the first step. "Hi, My name is Don and I'm a Drunk Runner!"
Now it's your turn, Hater.....

dr. deetschei said...

You're such a tramp now;)! (i've always wanted to say that!)
Motivation is a beatch. I went running yesterday for two miles, and it occured to me that I had no idea what I was running for. On the one hand, it was nice to jog without a dark race on the horizon. On the other hand, I worry that I'll have a hard time getting up to do it without something telling me I should keeep in shape.. SO, I'm going to find a half-marathon next weekend and run in that. Maybe you could google your area, find a few 5Ks and 10Ks, and getchoself in one for next weekend. and Don can look too, and then we can all come back with race reports! Hell yeah! Nothing gets me in the mood for running like a whole boatload of other runnin' freaks.

Sixpack Chopra said...

Hey Tramp -- looking forward to reports of your 3.5 mile treadmill run. Has it cooled down there enough to actually go outside and do some running? I'm hoping being able to get outside will be the answer to your running blues.

Take the dog running. That'll do it.