The other thing I've realized is that I've reached my sophomore year, if you will, of my training. The first 3 weeks are over, meaning I'm into the second quarter of the training. And the second quarter is always the worst. My sophomore year was my least favorite in both college and high school. The first quarter is new and exciting. And the third quarter, you're over halfway there and you can start to feel the end coming and you really start to get the hang of things, and the final quarter is just exciting because you're finishing. But the second quarter just drags because it's not new and exciting anymore and you've really still got quite a ways to go. I believe I have hit that stage in my training. It's not new and exciting anymore, and I'm not really even close to "almost there." It also doesn't help that my "freshman year" ended a bit roughly. On the bright side, this may possibly be the hardest stretch of training, so after I finish these next three weeks, hopefully it will get better and easier to motivate myself.
I've kind of realized that running is really 80% mental. Of course there is physicality involved, but it's so mind over body. In "Eye of the Tiger," (cheesy that I refer to my training song, I know) there's a line that says "Risin' up to the challenge of our rival." Until today, I thought of my route or my run as my rival. "I must defeat these three miles." But my routes aren't my rival. My rival is my own body. It's my own mind. I have to, in a sense, defeat myself, my desire to stop, to walk, to stay on my couch. I really don't enjoy running. It's slightly torturous for a significant amount of each run. But I like the feeling when I return. I like feeling in shape. I like the feeling of doing something to better myself. And I enjoy, in a sense, realizing that I can mentally defeat some of the lesser parts of me on an almost daily basis. For the first time in a long time, I am starting to feel like a real athlete again. And I like that.
Update on my Playlist:
As I said, it was subject to change. So here's how it stands as of now:
1. Diva by Beyonce
2. I'm Sexy And I Know It by LMFAO
3. Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor
4. Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar
5. Independent Woman by Destiny's Child
6. Jumpin' Jumpin' by Destiny's Child
7. Survivor by Destiny's Child
8. Step by Step by Whitney Houston
9. Wobble by V.I.C.
10. Queen of the Night by Whitney Houston
11. Misled by Celine Dion
12. Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine
13. Maneater by Nelly Furtado
14. The One by Mary J Blige
15. Only One by Yellowcard
16. A Boy Brushed Red... Living in Black and White by Underoath
17. Down, Set, Go by Underoath
18. Barton Hallow by The Civil Wars
19. All the Rowboats by Regina Spektor
20. Till The World Ends by I See Stars
As you can see, I took out some of the slower paced woman power ballads and added a little more R&B, some screamo, bluegrass, and whatever you call Regina Spektor. I've read from a few sources that for those who can tolerate it, screamo songs are good to work out to. I don't know that I'd listen to it in the gym, but when I'm running, it does give me some sort of release and simultaneous motivation to listen to someone do what I wish I could do, though I imagine I'd get cops called on me if I screamed while running, especially in suburbia.
Well, that's all for today, folks!
A marathon! As a "new" runner (just started my 9th week) I am in awe. I agree -- running is such a mental game. The battle (for me) is all about slapping myself in the face, and saying, "You can do this!"
ReplyDeleteYou're an inspiration, Kelsey! Keep it up! But be nice to your body ... the training programs give you rest days because you need it! Too much overdoing it could really set you back! Rest! It's all a part of the training!