Dean Karnazes | The Runner's Plate

My morning go started with a 6 a.m. track workout.

2 mile warm-up ~ 16:00 minutes
dynamic stretches (knee-highs, butt-kickers, carioca)
2 x 800 meters ~ 3:38, 3:33
4 x 400 meters ~ 1:39, 1:37, 1:37, 1:38
2 x 200 meters ~ 0:42, 0:42
800 meters barefoot ~ 4:48
3 mile cool-down ~ 25:00
Total ~ 8 miles ~ 61 minutes

Craig also did a track workout this morning. For Craig’s track workout, he sprinted the straight-a-ways and walked the curved portion of the track for a total of 4 laps (1600 meters). This is a great workout for beginners or those who don’t have a lot of experience on the track.

While we were at the track, we noticed that someone had lit the football storage shed on fire and many of their pads and equipment were burnt in the flames. So sad.

Surprisingly I wasn’t that hungry when I got back from running–even though I didn’t have anything to eat before I began and had just run 8 miles, but I knew I needed to eat something.

Mango Banana Smoothie

- 1/3 mango

- 1/3 banana

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1/4 cup plain yogurt

- 1 tablespoon vanilla soy protein powder

- 2 teaspoons chia seeds

- granola sprinkled on top

One scrambled egg, with a little bit of shredded cheese, on top of a sourdough English muffin.

I toasted the other half of the English muffin and spread peanut butter over it.

Motivation

Where does your motivation come from?

- family?

- friends?

- your hero/idol?

- motivational speakers?

- inspirational quotes?

- How about yourself?

As I’ve said before, I just finished up the book 50/50 by Dean Karnazes, which is a read I highly recommend–and if you are not motivated by this guy, you might want to check your pulse!! Dean is crazy and does things most humans would never even dream of–such as running a marathon to get to the start of a marathon–yet he is so inspiring!

I love what Dean writes about motivation

I do quite a lot of motivational speaking for corporations and other groups. The job of a motivational speaker is, of course, to motivate people. The irony is that I don’t believe one person really can motivate another person. Pep talks may have a short-term effect that causes participants to leave the seminar room with a spring in their step and big plans in their head, but it seldom lasts. Real motivation always comes from within. You must choose to be motivated. The most that others can do is help you make this choice by serving as inspirational examples of great passion.

This is SO true!! I don’t know how many times I’ve left a motivational speaker and felt so empowered, but within a week most of that has disapated!! It is sad but true.

So find what you are passionate about and let yourself be your inspiration and guide you to reach your goals!

Today I have made:

- Edamame Guacamole (For tonight’s meal at my in-law’s.)

- 3 Grain Chewy Energy Bars (For myself.)

- Rhubarb Crisp (For my in-laws, as a thank you for letting me steal their rhubarb.)

- Whole Grain Glory Muffins (For a breakfast potluck tomorrow morning.)

It is fun taking close-up shots.

Workout

Craig and I ran 4 miles together this morning in 40 minutes. Craig had been running 3, so pushing himself to 4 took some encouragement from me, but he was determined and finished strong!

One of the tactics I used for him came from Dean Karnazes’ book 50/50 (50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days) that I’ve been reading–and love by the way! The section I read last night before bed talked about taking “baby steps”–breaking down each run or goal into smaller steps.

So for the run this morning, Craig knew he could run 3 miles, so it was the last mile where he needed some extra motivation. When we got to 20 minutes–and were only half done–it became a little daunting because usually by this point we only have 10 minutes left. Twenty-five minutes into the run, I told him, let’s focus on getting to 30 minutes first.

We chatted a little bit and soon we had reached 30 minutes. Yeah! First “baby step” accomplished. Now only 10 minutes to go. ”Alright,” I told him, “we are going to focus on running to that stop sign.” And when we got there, we made another short-term (“baby step”) goal. With 5 minutes to go, we planned out the remainder of the route so we mentally knew where the “finish line” was and before we knew it, 4 miles had been accomplished! Success!

A lot of water was consumed afterwards.

Breakfast

I am somewhat ashamed to say I bought this Special K cereal that has an ingredients list a mile long, but it sure is good!! (Plus how could I pass up a good sale and coupon. )