Recently, I was asked how I stay motivated to run. I had to really think about it, because running is something that comes naturally to me; I don’t have to think about it; it’s just something I naturally do as part of my day. I don’t feel right when I’m not running. It’s just something I feel compelled to do.  

I sometimes wonder if I’m motivated by what I see in the mirror. Or am I spurred on by other runners, who can run longer or faster? Perhaps I just truly enjoy the feeling I get when I’m running. Ultimately, I think that I’m motivated by what’s important to me and what I get out of running. Each and every person needs to find out what motivates them as individuals and decide what running means to them.  

I’m driven by my passion for running and a strong belief in the ability of the underdog to triumph in the most unlikely of situations. This conviction is something that has sustained me through the years. I found out a long time ago that running was something that I could do that was just for me; when I lose, it’s my loss, and when I finish, I finish not only for myself, but also for those who never thought I could do it.  

I hit the road at 5 am so that I can see the sun rise and hear the rest of the world wake up. I run so that my children can see me get off the couch and make a difference. For the past 3 years I’ve been an assistant coach for our local running group, Portland Fit. I enjoy helping out with the ‘red group,’ which mainly consists of new runners.  Every year, the new and returning recruits show up with the expectation of running their first marathon. Their backgrounds are diverse: Some are returning to complete what they did not finish the year before, while others haven’t even run a mile before. Whatever their reason for participating in the group, these runners continually motivate me with their enthusiasm and excitement for what lies ahead in their marathon training.  

I’m also motivated by all my new friends on Twitter and Daillymile.  When I have a bad day, they are there to encourage and remind me that there is always another run waiting for me. However, social media could disappear tomorrow, and I would still run. Really, in the end, I am my own motivation.  

-SoloRunner 

coach@prsfit.com

I spent a very short part of my weekend watching one of the latest get fit in 10 minutes exercise routines. As I was watching some thoughts came to my head. First is; kind of funny, I know I need to get in shape so I spend $90 on an exercise video. However, I only want to invest about 10 minutes of my time to do it. Next; Has our society become so uninterested in our health that we spend hours twittering, doing face book stuff, yet only willing to spend 10 minutes a day on our health. And lastly is; How many people really believe you can get into shape just exercising 10 minutes a day.

Here’s the skinny! (yes I said skinny) You can’t do it in 10 minutes! You can’t , You can’t, You can’t! Now that may seem like a little rant and I’m glad ,because it is. You can’t!

Folks burning body fat is not easy! Especially if you are new to fitness. For you to strengthen and shape your body you have to find ways to burn fat. No if ands or buts. In order to do that you have to make a lifestyle change. How much change depends on your current fitness levels and your goals. If your not ready to do that, save your 90 bucks, because 10 minutes a day won’t work.

The pure scientific physiology of it is; Your body burns more fat the longer you exercise. Undisputable medical evidence. The first way to burn fat is change your diet. You don’t have to go crazy, make small changes in the beginning. Replace, starchy foods with fruits and vegetables, and white bread with whole grain or wheat bread. Small doable stuff.

Next, drink more. Water and citrus juices. Stay away from soda and fruity drinks. Water actually keeps fat from sticking to the body which means less fat storage. Vitamin C helps your body heal and aids in burning cholesterol, natural fruit juices high in vitamin C can improve your health.

Last and of most importantly is exercise. I get that people work, have kids and lead busy lives. But the American College of Sports Medicine does not recommend 40 (not 10) minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3 -4 times a week because they are sitting around thinking up new things to recommend. It’s important to your health. A good exercise program can help improve your circulation, lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, control cholesterol and yes, burn fat. Lot’s of it!

This is my second blog about taking charge of your diet. As I was watching the U.S Open last night, I was again accosted by Marie Osmond, Valerie Bertinelli, and Jillian Barbieri telling me how they had lost 40, 45 and 50 pounds on the fantastic nutri system diet. The glycemic index, “good carbs” “baaaaad carbs” fantastic meals delivered in a box right to your door. The food is fantastic, and I can eat cake and pizza too.

First of all: How freakin good can food in a box that arrives at your door be. Palatable maybe, fantastic, not so much. Secondly good carbs, bad carbs, cake and pizza. Am I the only one that sees this huge contradiction. Cake and pizza are not good carbs!!Could they possibly mean you can eat good and bad carbs? That’s my kind of diet, it promotes all kinds of carbs.

Look folks I’m no different than most American males of my generation. I had a crush on Marie and Valerie too. And yes they both look great today. Jillian Barbieri, forget about it! But it ain’t the good carbs, baaaaaad carbs workin all that magic. Sure they have cut down on their caloric intake, that’s a pretty good start to weight management. But again it helps to have a personal trainer working with you 8 hours a day. Hell, I’m a personal trainer and I can’t afford that. I also can’t afford $400 a month or just $11 a day to feed me alone.

So is there truth in good carbs, baaaaaad carbs. Yes! Is there truth in the glycemic index. Yes and no. Look the glycemic index was designed to measure the amount of insulin your body releases when digesting certain foods. Some carbs cause a huge spike in insulin when you eat them and then that drops off. This gives you quick energy, that drops off as the insulin levels decline rapidly, and these foods get stored in a not so attractive place. “Baaaaaad carbs.” Other foods cause a slower and steadier release of insulin into the system that takes longer to burn, therefore sustaining your energy levels and not going into those baaaad places. Good carbs!

Just Google, glycemic index and get a list of foods and their good carb, baaaaad carb rating. Thankfully we don’t just eat carbohydrates, because some foods like carrots have a high glycemic rating, or baaaaad carb. But if you eat them with a good clean protein you get the magic nutrition word. BALANCE! So, I’m going to give you a helpful tip, don’t eat; white rice, white pasta, white sugars, keep you dairy intake low and search for dark green leafy vegetables for calcium. Eat clean proteins, range fed cattle, chicken, cold water, not farm raised fish.  Lots of fruit and veggies for your good carbs. And exercise.

I’m attaching my meal plan from yesterday. I use dailyburn.com (http://dailyburn.com/nutrition)  to track my nutrition. It is the best!! You will see a pretty well balanced meal although some of personal numbers were off yesterday. And I think it cost me a total of $7.00 and my protein ain’t cheap. The moral of the story is: It’s easy to shop and cook for yourself, eat clean fresh foods that taste great and won’t break your bank.  

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

Staying motivated to train means it is important to practice mental conditioning techniques as much as physical training. Too many runners and triathletes think they will develop an automatic mind set for success just through training and racing. However, the real deal is, we are naturally conditioned to follow the path of least resistance, and most of us will think and focus based on past habits. You run, you swim and you bike in order to train your body to perform at its optimum level. Why would you not go through the same conditioning process for your mental game as well?

Mental habits are learned. Changing how you think means focusing on replacing ineffective thought habits with a new winning mind set. Having a basic motivational foundation and developing simple mental training techniques can lead to improved performance and enjoyment, both in training and racing.

First you need to define your mission, where are you now, and how are you going to get from where you are, to where you want to go. Successful businesses always create a vision and a mission. This keeps them on track and gives them a reference point to monitor the progress of the company. Just like a business you need a vision. Your vision will be the starting point for your motivation! Your vision is the picture of what you want to accomplish. When you create your vision follow these guidelines.

1. Focus on what you want.
2. What excites you about the opportunity.
3. Make it something you really want.
4. Make it very real and achievable.
5. Make it specific enough that you can monitor your progress.
6. Write it down.
7. Talk about it with family and friends.

Creating a vision may take some time. Don’t treat it lightly! It is a process that will shift and change. Your vision is a dream of what you really want to achieve, and will provide you with motivation. Your dreams, visions and missions are a part of who you are. They belong to you! There is no such thing as a bad vision, or dream, if it has meaning and the right foundation. Be sure to re-examine your visions and dreams regularly and change them if necessary. Your training and racing successes will change from year to year, and what motivates you this year, may not excite you next year.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

Like most people today, I’ve been spending time on the social networks. Although I keep my door open to everyone, a large portion of my time is spent talking to runners, triathletes and related manufacturers.

However, the best part of my day is when I get to share training tips with new runners or triathletes. The people that are actually responsible for the growth of our sports. Many of these newbies are using cookie cutter traininging programs from magazines and books with their eye on finishing their first marathon or triathlon. Many have questions that they can’t get answered from the pages of their book; so I feel I have responsibility to help when and if I can, in an effort to make their training productive and most importantly, safe.

During a few conversations yesterday a very disturbing pattern started to present itself to me. That, being overtraining! One first time marathoner told me the program he was using, has him running four 20 mile runs prior to his race. Another woman eight weeks out from her race said she has already run three 20 milers and has one left. Both of these people are first time mararthoners with goals in the 3:40 area. I was flabbergasted. Over the course of my training career, I have coached countless of first timers many have broken the 4:00 barrier, some have qualified for Boston, and I’ve even had a few real naturals go under 3:30 their first time, and none ever exceeded 50 miles in a training week, or ran 20 miles more than once!

Many endurance athletes get confused about fitness growth. Fitness growth does not come from the quantity of exercise, but from the capacities of the body and mind for recovery or restoration. The athlete who is able to recover the fastest, is able to complete the most high quality workouts. Those who learn to balance their motivation with patience, and who balance intensity with intelligence finish races at the top of their categories on a regular basis.

To train successfully you have to learn where the edge of over-training is for you. Highly motivated, young and novice athletes are less likely to recognize when they are crossing over the edge of training.

Smart training is constantly assessing your conditioning and readiness to train. Meticulously tracking the indicators, rises in resting heart rate, soreness, mental fatigue and staleness are strong signs of over-training.

Unfortunately there is no surefire formula for knowing when you have done too much and are starting to overreach. The best prevention is using rest and recovery. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that maximizing your training load over and over produces better results. However, there is tons of data supporting that a well planned training program that has a good balance of rest and recovery will.

Running a marathon and completing a triathlon are both physically and mentally challenging. In fact two of the biggest challenges you may ever put you mind and body through. Take these challenges seriously, get help from experienced friends or a coach. Never be afraid to reach out and ask questions. We are all part of a great and supportive community always willing to help.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com