Hard time to stay committed.

Its "that" time of year. The time when everyone has colds, its raining every time you want/need to run, and its a real challenge just to kick your own ass out the door.

Its so easy at the moment to not run.....its almost like I have more reasons not to run, than I have to run.

But I keep reminding myself, that I have omitted to running Melbourne marathon again this year and now I need to make sure I don't die doing it :)

So running in the rain and freezing cold wind yesterday I kept reminding myself "each time my foot hits the ground, its a step towards a successful marathon"

This was hard though because every time the dog looked at me (as much as she loves running) I felt like she was struggling to be out there as much as I was.

In the end we both had a good run. In the rain, in the cold....but at the end of the day I took another handful of steps towards Melbourne Marathon.

Its funny the way that challenges to being a runner, and living that life manifest themselves in the strangest ways.

For example travel for work....once upon a time, I would have packed work clothes and my laptop and been right to go. Now when I travel, its my garmin, runners, skins, shorts etc. I dont worry about if where I will be staying is nice, I look up google maps to see if there is anywhere to run around the place, and make sure that work doesn't get in the way of running in a new area.

Another good example, is food. Not the kind that I buy or choose to put in my mouth. Its the kind that sneaks up on you, and is half eaten before you realize what is going on. Another example is that at present, there is a BIG pack of tim tams in the kitchen...they literally have a sign on them that says "Please Eat" This is on a post it note, but to my eyes it may as well be on a billboard in letters the same height as I am. I know eating one or some of them is not good, I know I don't need them, and I know that I will feel bad for eating them if I succumb.....but it doesn't stop me staring at them like I have been walking across the desert for the last 2 weeks and they are a glass of ice water.....

In a discussion with a colleague the other day I was asked "how do you cope with stress" This was a general question but it stemmed from a discussion about parenting, husbanding and working etc....the answer is simple....I run.....

til next time


Daniel