Maintaining Motivation

Is it just me, or is autumn not the best time of year to be a runner? Typically, still warm enough for shorts, but just cool enough to inspire you to pick up the pace. This summer, you got yourself motivated...the right running shoes, the right running routes, and the right running partners. But keeping it all going through the fall is key to staying with it through the more challenging winter. So why should your fitness drop when the leaves do?

Like me, I am sure you've taken advantage of the long summer days to log more miles or train for races. Possibly you are more fit than you've been all year. But this otherwise ideal season is fleeting, and without the right focus you could lose all you've gained as winter rolls into town. "The key to long-term improvement in running is adding another layer to your fitness base each year," says Eugene, Oregon-based coach Brad Hudson.

Here's some ways to make the most of the best season for runners.

Take Aim
Now that you've reached your original goal of becoming a runner, set your sights on another running goal to keep yourself pumped. Lots of new (or returning) runners get motivated by choosing a race as a goal, but use whatever target works for you, whether that's building up to your first 10-mile run, running five times a week, or logging 100 miles in a month. "A good goal keeps you excited," says Jenny Hadfield, coauthor with her husband, John "The Penguin" Bingham.

Go Off-Road
Consider trading concrete for dirt this fall. Running on trails reduces your risk of overuse injuries because the surface is more forgiving. "Fall is a beautiful time of year to enjoy trails," says Hadfield. Fartlek runs, which randomly alternate faster bursts of running with slower jogs, are a great way to challenge yourself--and have fun--on trails. After warming up, set your sights on a big boulder or towering tree up ahead and increase your pace until you reach it, then run easy for a while before picking another landmark. But be careful when you hit the trails because the unevenness of the terrain can increase your risk for an ankle sprain. "Keep your eyes about three feet ahead on the trail," says Hadfield.

Vary Your Pace
Mix in some faster running to keep things interesting and enhance your fitness. Hadfield suggests the "negative-split run" as a good way to start speedwork. Pick an out-and-back route. Run for, say, 20 minutes, then turn around and try to cut one or two minutes from that time coming back. You can also incorporate faster running into your normal routes by dividing some runs into five-minute segments, says Hadfield. Run the first one or two minutes of each segment at a pace that is noticeably faster than regular training pace, then ease back for the remainder of the five minutes. Repeat until you complete your run.

Experiment
Simple logistical changes to your regular running routine can help keep your enthusiasm high, says Hadfield. Do you always run alone? Start running with a friend, or join a local running club. If you normally run in silence, try running with an iPod. Instead of always running from your front door, occasionally drive to a nice park or beach for a change of scenery.

A Christmas Story

During this time of year, our household seems to develop a minor obsession for all things Christmas. Christmas music playing, little Christmas villages for the kids to play with, endless varieties of baked Christmas goodies, and colorful Christmas decorations everywhere -- both indoor and out, all thanks to the unceasing efforts of my wonderful wife. But what I also enjoy are the Christmas movies. To me they are just as integral to setting the Christmas mood as everything else.

You can't beat those true classics ... Miracle on 34th Street, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, It's a Wonderful Life. Co'mon, you know you tear up a little just watching all of George Bailey's neighbors streaming into his house to give him their pocket change while belting out Auld Lang Syne. And what guy wouldn't relish the opportunity to decorate the exterior of his home as Clark Griswald so famously did with so many lights it would show up on Google's satellite map.

However, my all time hands-down favorite has to be A Christmas Story. Many consider it to have been the tribute of tributes to the original, traditional, one-hundred-percent, red-blooded, two-fisted, all-American Christmas. It was a campy humor hit then that still continues to be to this day. Besides, this classic has some great childhood memories for me for it was this movie my family saw during Christmas of '83 while visiting my sister and her husband in Dallas. I wasn't much older than Ralphie myself at the time, and the thought of an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with compass in the stock under the tree (or something of vaguely similar boy-intrigued value that was sure to "shoot your eye out") was all I could dream of that season. I'm still reminded of the playfullness and the tomfoolery found throughout this movie, especially the scene as Ralphie's friend exhibits a moment of true dim-wittedness when he sticks his tongue to the playground's frozen flag pole after receiving the dreaded "triple-dog" dare. (I've been told one of my younger nephews performed this very stunt himself just this past week, after being goaded into it by his older brother … hmm, I wonder if they saw that movie at my house?)

For those of you who share an affection for A Christmas Story, interestingly the Christmas Story house has since been restored to its movie splendor and is now open year round to the public for tours. In fact, I've heard if you happen to drive by on a cold winter's night, you may notice a curious leg-shaped lamp in the front window.

In all, I've enjoyed this sentimental masterpiece and how it has provided a nostalgic and innocent peek back into a past when kids wouldn't spend countless hours in front of the television or playing video games, but rather would curl up with a couple of good books or daydream of their heroes while listening as the evening's radio drama unfolded. Though I never experienced some of these long-ago traditions myself, my parents have told us countless tales over the years of wonderful times like these when families shared heartwarming traditions of simple moments spent together. It is my Christmas wish that I share those same memories with my children; something I hope they will treasure and share with their own some day themselves.

Oh, I have watched A Christmas Story, along with countless other memorable classics in my collection, multiple times already this season. But what I really cherish are those moments when my kids nestle up on the couch with me to join in yet another showing. Lest I forget that big ol' fashioned bowl of popcorn, they'll remind me rather quick! And many times we'll get a few good, hearty laughs together, and still other times they'll just drift off during the movie and fall asleep in my arms. Yeah, those are the memories I'll enjoy for many years to come.

You see, nothing beats that warm feeling that the holiday and the birth of Jesus our Savior brings. So be sure to create your own Christmas story with your family this year, and enjoy this wonderful season of memories-to-be-made. Oh, and be sure to drink your Ovaltine.

Here's my online gift to you, set to the seasonal music from Trans-Siberian Orchestra (my wife just loves them) ... enjoy!

Monday Run-Down

It feels as though the fall season is rapidly bleeding away from us. Just yesterday, it seemed it was October...bright autumn leaves and the plans of a marathon trip to NYC but a away. Yet today's run reminded me that God created these wonderful seasons. He also created running tights, for a reason—and when the north winds howl and the temperature is hovering above freezing, you shouldn't end up forgetting them at home.

A quick run-down on recent happenings and things to come...

Though a little over two weeks have passed, I am still feeling the afterglow of running in the NYC Marathon. It was a great experience for me, and one I know I won't soon forget. I've had so many opportunities to relate my personal story to friends and family, as well as numerous chances to thank them for their support and prayers. It has also inspired me to look ahead and set still more goals.

It's definitely that time of year again. Yes, you know…the age-old, annual tradition where you blanket the outside of your home with millions of tiny bulbs, that fine act of ladder-balancing while freezing most every body part you own, the seemingly endless process of poring over the miles of drop cords and strands of Christmas lights searching for the one small reason why the entire house refuses to become a Griswoldian beacon to the local neighborhood...

 Clark:  Russ, we checked every bulb, didn't we?
 Rusty:  Sure, Dad.
 Clark:  Hmm...maybe we ought to just go up there 
         and check...
 Rusty:  Oh, wow.  Look at the time.  I gotta 
         get to bed. I still gotta brush my teeth, 
         feed the hog, still got some homework to
         do, still got those bills to pay, wash 
         the car...

Ah, Christmas is coming...now, where's that ladder?

The Living History Farms race is this Saturday...I am so totally psyched. And why not, this happens to be my favorite race of the entire year. I mean, where else can I spend a fabulous Saturday morning in November running through woods, fields and streams with thousands of other crazy runners and, while crossing that finish line completely covered caked in mud and grime, still have the incredulous look of pure enjoyment on my face? It's priceless.

Kicking The Habit

Hasn't time just flown by this year? It's hard to believe we've finished October and already are a week into the month of November. Before we know it Thanksgiving will be here, with Christmas following only a few scant weeks after. And soon, we'll be turning the page on yet another year.

Whether we like it or not, it's almost time to begin thinking of our New Years resolutions. You remember, those goals we resolve to act on with good intentions and determination throughout the course of the upcoming year? I guess I just happen to be a believer that setting goals are a healthy way of directing your effort, whether to ultimately achieve a desired result or to at least persuade you to move in the right direction necessary. And, if we realize it or not, they can also provide a strong motivational influence for others to do the same themselves.

One of my earlier 2007 resolutions, aside from completing my two marathon goals (Grandmas Marathon and Des Moines Marathon) or finally finishing that basement remodel my wife has been waiting patiently for, was to lose a little weight and tone up my build some. I know doing this will ultimately benefit not only my running, but could also give me just a bit more endurance when my kids engage me in their marathon wrestling and roughhousing sessions. Ah, to have the upper hand for once - LOL. Now, I haven't achieved all of the goals I'd intended for this year, but this particular one I've made some fairly good progress on throughout the summer months. Likely because I don't mind running frequently in hotter weather. But with winter coming up, I need to readdress this goal so I don't fall back to where I'd been before. And hearing recently how a few of my friends from Runner's Lounge have taken on a holiday weight loss goal for themselves, I must admit I'm feeling the motivational influence.

You see, if I really want to kick this weight loss/toning up idea thing into gear, especially with my winter running season drawing near, I need to get serious. And I know of one way to face this seriously ... I need to quit my soda drinking habit. That's right folks, I'm going sans soda (yes, us Minnesotans like to refer to pop as soda - grin). Alright, you might chuckle a little when you first hear that simple declaration, but it really is a big deal to me. And possibly it should be for you, too. Not only is soda found to be high in calories, but there are many abnormal health effects sugar and caffeine can have on your body, such as dehydration, calcium reduction, and body metabolism interference. I just figure my daily intake of Mt. Dew has truly become a vice, and is obviously not helping me with my intentions of better health. It's time I make a resolution to assist an earlier resolution. It's time to make a difference in my life … for the better.

Here's how it goes: my initial goal here is to voluntarily remove soda from my diet completely for one full week beginning tomorrow. If I can successfully complete this, my guess is I will no longer have the caffeine cravings to continue the habit. Simple, right? Hey, I know nothing is ever that effortless, but I'm planning on giving it my best shot.

Check back this week to see how it goes … and stay tuned as I begin to discuss and shape my running goals for the 2008 season.

Photo by Tripcart

The Race Of Life

The past week has been a blur for me in many regards, and I have inadvertently neglected the blog. It's just that I've been feeling fairly odd for the last couple of weeks and know that I am still not 100% with my health yet. Yeah, something to do with the possible side effects of the previous medication for my earlier strep throat. I have been to the doctor a few times now and they are running some additional tests to help rule out other possible bacterial infections. But I can only take so much of the blahs and busied myself over weekend with everything from yard work to winterizing and storing our camper. It felt so good to get outside and relish in the warm sunshine. I know these types of days are getting scarce now, and I've needed the chance to get things ready for the colder season that's coming.

Another activity I recently had to put on hold has been my running. Okay, if you're a runner yourself you know how tough this can be. Try curtailing the one daily activity that you love doing the most and see how you feel…in a nutshell, it's been strange. Not only that I haven't been out there pounding the pavement and trails, but it has been odd not having to constantly wash my workout clothing as I normally do at the end of each day, or consistently jot information down in my running journal as a way to keep track of mileage, time, and route data. So odd, in fact, that I couldn't stand it a minute longer and had to pull my running shoes back on. That's right, I'm back running…finally. Though I was cautious and kept the afterburners turned all the way down yesterday, I was able to crank out a respectable 5.75 miles. Oooh, it felt good. I chose a route through some of the most beautiful scenery downtown Des Moines has to offer. I just love this time of year…the vibrant and endless fall colors, the cascading leaves to run through, the brisk air with that hint of winter scent. Nothing like recharging the batteries. I think it allowed me to feel like I was still dedicated to my love for running; that it hadn't been forgotten or hadn't forgotten me. It was just what I've needed to help me feel normal again.

Reminding me of dedication is one of the great mega-distance runners of our time, Dean Karnazes. Dean has completed many spectacular feats, such as 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, and running 350 continuous miles. I mean, this guy is built for ultra-endurance and ultra distances! Not only does it require phenomenal physical strength and stamina, but also endless and relentless training. It takes dedication, and he appears to be the epitome of this trait.

Remarkably, our approach to our spiritual fitness & dedication should be quite similar. Oh, it may not involve the same pain as running the Badwater Ultramarathon, an extreme 135 mile course that begins at 282 feet below sea level and finishes at an elevation of 8360 feet, but it does require serious focus and dedication. You see, God wants us to train not only our bodies but also our minds. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul writes, "...train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." The goal here is not spiritual muscle-flexing but godliness - a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Ultimately, God wants us to be prepared to serve him.

Running is an excellent way to train our bodies to be healthy and able, ready for whatever marathons we may run. Prayer and studying the Word also trains our minds to be strong and focused, ready for His service.

How well we train greatly affects how well we run our race of life. - David C. McCasland

Key thought: Godly exercise is key to godly character.