I have two important hellos to give out today – one to FRIDAY! So nice to see you again! And another to all the new faces I have seen around here. Make yourself at home and thanks for stopping by. For all you “old faces” – I love love love love love you too! You will find it either heart-warming or get-a-grip-girl-ridiculous when I tell you that I got all watery eyed yesterday thinking how blessed I am to blog and have you all in my life to make it happen. I’m a softy. Sue me. 😉

I could go on and on about my adoration of each of you, but I have something to get off my chest. I know you all think I eat, live, and breathe working out. Well, I do. Howeeeverrr, I certainly have my days where I do not feel like it either. Days where the motivation somehow failed to come along for the ride. I faced that scenario yesterday afternoon!

I couldn’t head to the gym in the morning because Makenzie has contracted some sort of random rash this week. It has improved immensely since its random outbreak on Tuesday, but I always play it safe when exposing my kids to other children. No gym child care for her today! Which meant afternoon workout for me. Ewwww.

I have no trouble pumping myself up for a workout in the morning. I’m fresh and ready to go! In the afternoon, I just want to spread out on the floor like roadkill and allow the two children to use me as a jungle gym (Makenzie) or teething toy (Mr. B). I knew if I skipped out, though, I would regret it since it would have come from pure laziness. I bucked up and dragged my booty to the gym.

The workout felt good, but I don’t want to lie and tell you I breezed through. Oh no. I spent the majority of that workout playing the little mental games I turn to when I have to power through. I have quite a few because, like many others, sometimes I have to distract myself. And boy do I have a  variety of ways to do that.

The Mind-Games Tina Plays During Blah-Don’t-Want-To-Do-This Workouts

Goooooaaaaaaaalllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Okay, maybe I’m still stuck in earlier this week with the Women’s World Cup. Anyways – I remember my goals. On runs, I picture myself crossing that finish line for my upcoming half marathon. I picture myself becoming a personal trainer and wanting to have the pizazz to motivate others, including myself. I picture myself lugging kids around without my arms killing me. I picture feeling confident in my bathing suit. Don’t you tell me that doesn’t motivate you a bit too!

“Can’t Touch This”: I cannot believe I am about to admit this. When I need a little pump up in my workout attitude, I will tell my workout it can’t get the best of me. How? By singing MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” in my head over and over and over again. Whilst also picturing a scene like one of my favorite flash mob videos I have ever seen breaking out at my gym. Ohhh ohhhh! Ohhhh ohhh! Can’t Touch This! Not. Even. Joking.

Break It Down: I will break my workout into smaller chunks. Instead of thinking “I have six exercises to get through” I will focus on the first two. Kind of like with running and the whole “take it one mile at a time” approach. Focusing on one part over the whole helps it feel more manageable when I don’t have high levels of gung-ho-ed-ness. It’s a word.

The Final Countdown: In a similar vein, if I count my reps down in my head it makes me feel better. I guess I like hearing the number get smaller and smaller. Just…two…more…jump squats…

….because, heck no do I always look so peppy in a round of those suckers! 

The Blog: I know you all would never feel disappointed in me…but at the same time, knowing I share workouts with you fabulous folk can give me a swift kick in the pants. Besides…its more fun for me to write and for you to read about pushing through a workout and envisioning Hammer Time flash mobs than me saying “oh, I didn’t feel like working out today”. I thought so.

Jesus: Yes, I go there. If that man can go through what he did for me, then pretty sure I can handle that last set of push-ups. Plus, a healthy body is a blessing and I don’t want to take it for granted.

“Fooooooood”: Visions of sugar plums may not dance through my head, but visions of oatmeal sure do! Even though I eat a snack before most of my workouts, I can never fail to distract my thoughts with food. Maybe that’s another reason I don’t enjoy working out in the afternoon. Oats and smoothies are more fun to think about than leftover pasta salad, no matter how delicious it may be.

Watch Out, Girl! I must admit that I also stoop to the level of picking some poor soul in the gym to “compete” against. I choose someone busting butt and refuse to let that person one-up me. Not the best side of me, but at least it gets the job done!

Your turn! What are your favorite mental games for during tougher workouts?

Alternate titles for this post?

• Should Have Done The Speed Work
• Wear The Dang Spibelt
• I Need To Learn To Charge My Music
• But It’s All Okay In The End

This morning I woke up with a speed work session on the half marathon training calendar. I also woke up to Peter informing me the iPhone died and I would have no music for my run. What is this? The third time in less than two weeks? Sheesh!

Anyways…I headed to the track intending to make the best of my run and somehow power through the dreaded speed work without musical inspiration. Then not even halfway around the first lap of the track I said “to heck with this madness!” and opted to run a quicker paced four miler on the running trail instead.

Since I had planned to simply run around the track, where I can leave my stuff on the sideline, I didn’t have my Spibelt carrier with me. So, I stashed my water bottle back in the car and tucked my key inside the handy little pocket inside my running shorts to stay nice and cozy.

I got going on my run and instantly knew I made the right decision. For my run, at least. I was on fire!

• Mile 1 = 9:12
• Mile 2 = 8:43
• Mile 3 = 8:41
• Mile 4 = 8:14 (!!!)

Just as I patted myself on the back and slowed to finish my run, I realized something. I didn’t feel a particular something poking into my hip anymore. You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?

The key. Gone!!!! And I knew exactly where it happened. The full two miles out where I had turned around. Where something came out of nowhere and hit my foot. That something I originally thought was a random rock was actually my key I saw flying into the thick, tall brush off the greenway’s boardwalk area.

Oh---cean! Right when I realized my predicament, I came across this extremely kind woman who happened to have a phone on her to borrow. I called Peter right up to see if he could come save me. Problem numero uno? He has the kids. I have the car seats. So, I let him see if he can reach my sister-in-law in the neighborhood to watch them for a few minutes. I hang up and walk with the kind woman, Carolyn, and her dogs waiting to hear back. Problem numero dos? He can’t reach her.

Oh-cean! Don’t worry he says. He will go down the street with the kids to see if anyone is home. I stroll along for another long while with Carolyn waiting to find out whether or not Peter can come. He calls and says he doesn’t know if anyone is home because no one came to the door but their cars are there. So I stroll along with Carolyn more again, holding this poor woman’s phone captive, until I finally get a call from Peter saying he is on his way.

I race back to my car to meet Peter. And you better believe I added that to my workout. I want credit for that hectic .58 miles and achieving an 8:40 average pace! I think I got my speed work in for the week, don’t you? 😉

After Peter picks me up we drive out to the area where I know my key fell out to attempt finding it. Too bad there is no easy entrance to this area of the running trail. So what do we do? He pulls up alongside the road and I have to dash out on a busy road with no sidewalks, a bridge, and cars going past me to eventually climb through grass and get to the path. Only to search and search and search but no dice. Adios, key!

Finally, I get home three hours later. So much for heading out early to get things done sooner. It bothered me at first, probably because I had not eaten and was past the point of angry hungry, but then I just had to laugh it off. Plus, I can’t help think that God had a hand in it. Carolyn doesn’t normally walk with her phone but had it today. I don’t normally change my planned workout like that but did today. Carolyn’s husband recently passed and she normally walks with a friend – so maybe God just wanted me to keep her company. And maybe He just wanted to remind me that little “annoyances” don’t make up life. Love does. I felt love from Carolyn’s, Peter’s, and Marie’s (sister-in-law) graciousness in helping me out today. So, yea. It’s all okay in the end.

• Have you ever lost your key? Locked yourself out? Or something similar?
• What is the last act of kindness you received from someone?
• Of Possible Interest: Check out the panel discussion and my awesome fellow bloggers on the Healthy Living Summit site!

One Final Note – If you can visit the blog tomorrow morning to help support my Fitfluential Ambassador post, I will be eternally grateful! 🙂