Before you read this in search of some "Oh good, she's not as diligent as she thought she might be... I can hold back on some training sessions and everything will be ok", I am going to warn you- this entry is not about that. I most certainly am not writing about finding excuses to give up, nor am I writing about giving yourself permission to cut back. Instead, I thought I'd share how I'm doing and working around "life" as it gets in the way- especially during the holiday season.
You might now be thinking "Wow, she's gone crazy (again)", and I can affirm that this might be a little bit true. The biggest change I have noticed in the past month especially is that I have caught "the bug"/ the running bug. I have heard about this phenomenon before, statements like "once I get in the groove, I can't stop" and a hyper-prioritisation of running in your life (I still haven't felt the former, although I am up to three consecutive hours. I'm more in the hyper-prioritisation camp at the moment). This was a feeling that I hadn't really experienced until recently. Running was more of a justification to erase the full fat dairy and wine that I didn't want to give up on in the week. It was a way to clear my head on a Friday after work or fill a couple of hours on a Sunday to enjoy the hills and canal side in the city. I didn't love it. It felt tedious. It was hard. It was certainly boring.
So what's changed my perspective?
Two things I think:
1) I've persisted to stick to my programme, thus forming a new (reawakening an old) habit called training. I mentioned in my previous entry that my muscles were starting to remember which days were running days and which days were for rest. Consistent, repetitive exercise (the reawakened old) has brought physiological change in the form of new energy levels and body composition. This positive response is feedback to my mind, where my mind says "hey, this feels good- this extra energy and you fit in you skinny jeans!"; as a result, I want to keep doing it.
Leading me to #2) the realisation that I am in control of my success, or failure for that matter. Blah, blah, blah... anyone who thinks they are philosophical will say that... you are in control of your destiny/life/fortune. They say it because it is true. They say it because people choose not to exercise this notion. Of course though, there are aspects of your life that you are not able to directly control, but that's for discussion after a glass of wine.
What I mean in this case is that the fact that I am directly in control of my current running highs is super comforting. I put good effort in by eating right and watching my pace through the week, I get a reliable result in the form of good average minute mile times on my long Sunday runs= mini wins! I put inconsistent effort in during the week- less sessions or not minding my mid-week pacing, I screw up my Sunday long run/ feel tight/ am an antsy energised mess on a weekday night.
My body and mind as a human are reliable, and it puts me at ease to know this... especially if other areas of my life that matter to me are under a course beyond my control (don't worry, Mom).
So, what do I mean by saying "when life gets in the way"? It's the holiday season, the time for socialising on nights that you wouldn't normally. And of course it's fine to say "hey, I can't join you tonight" for whatever reason, but at the same time, if this is the only time of year that you meet up with a certain few, then blowing them off entirely because you need to spend an hour running on a Tuesday, shouldn't consistently be an excuse. Nor is blowing off your training completely because you only see these certain few not often enough in the year.
Because it is only an extra hour or so of training! And if they are your friends, they will be supportive of meeting you an hour later, or while you still might be wearing your gym kit to the pub. If anything, it gives you another topic to catch up about.
Keeping to your training plan does take diligence, coupled with forward planning, and if necessary, flexibility. It's not that often that it's at the last minute you are asked to go and meet someone or attend a midweek party. Generally, you know what's on for the week ahead. Your life is busy, so you keep a calendar. If health and wellness and achieving your goals is important to you, prioritise those aspects of your life. Plan for them. Make a back up plan. Re-arrange your plan, hence flexibility. Just because you have a training plan, it doesn't need to be so rigid that you can't get on with your personal life. You are likely not training 30+ hours a week because you are an Olympic Athlete- and if you are, then my advice is stick to your plan and push back on your social calendar! But chances are that you are an average Joe/Jolene with a goal to achieve. So stick to the gist of it- and by that, stick to at least 80% (yes, a magical number I've plucked from the air) of your regular training regime if you want to see results. Certainly don't whine about how your plan isn't working if you aren't honestly working against your plan.
If anything, getting out for a run the day after a Wednesday of heavy Christmas drinking will probably do you the world of good- just swap it to an "easy" day. And lastly, in case you think I'm preaching, here's my progress against my plan, where I've made the last two weeks "flexible" around my social calendar.
