Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Smaller Goals....Bigger Gains....

I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a brazen assumption that most of "us" runners - are fairly type A.  Goal oriented, nothing's too challenging....won't be defeated...controlling....high strung.....(I'm also an Aries so you can imagine how the sign of the Ram factors in here). 

I've learned to be proud of my A mentality - but sometimes it defeats me before I even get started.  My to do lists are twice as long as my husbands on a weekend.  My "plan" for the week is mapped out down to every minute.  My exercise and dieting goals are set for the week.  The problem with this - especially when you are running a household - is that it doesn't allow "life" to get in the way.  Well - let me rephrase - life happens, my plan falls to sh*t and I have to start over. 

Very demotivating some days, weeks, months....

I can't change my whole personality - so I'm going to try and focus in on my running and my weight goals.   I think my controlling, big picture mentality is hurting me.  I need to break it down.  I'm so caught up in the fact that I'm training for a half marathon AND trying to lose 20 lbs - that I am not taking the time to think about what I need each day or week.  It's overwhelms me.  It drains me.  It causes me to head to the couch or the fridge! 

My girlfriend and I have decided to drop our long term goals and focus on weekly ones instead.  Losing a pound a week is a lot easier to think about than 20!  Running with my daily mileage goal is a lot less stressful than thinking about needing to run 13.1 at a time.  NOT TO MENTION - that - dare I say it - I COULD stop and walk if I had to.  There...I said it.  It's okay to walk if I need to. 

It's week one for me living with  this new thought process - and I'm not gonna lie - there's a battle going on in my head - but I believe -that in the end - I will prevail.  I will be ready to run my half when the time comes - and even at a pound a week - I'll be in a better place down the road.  Baby steps....

How do you approach your goals? 

4 comments:

  1. Good for you!! I always tell myself it is fine if I walk during my run because at least I am out there doing something. I of course try not to walk much but if I do there is no punishment in my thinking. Best of luck with the weight loss. I still have 15 I want to loose. Erica

    ReplyDelete
  2. this sounds like a great way to look at it :) and that's how I approached my wight loss before after pregnancy. I used this awesome calorie and workout calculator program, that unfortunately doesn't exist anymore :( then I had to switch to myfitpal.

    I loved focusing on things by day. Way easier. Even when I would cheat and eat a cupcake then I'd walk on the spot in front of the tv or do an extra workout vid ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read your blog - clearly you have a lot more self control than I do :-) !!

      Delete