Three Diesel Ds!

I'll have to admit I've been struggling lately. Start with the post-marathon blues, add in sluggish injury recovery, sprinkle in crappy weather and you get a very unmotivated runner! I started listening to myself... "It's too cold" ... "My knee feels tight" ... "I feel so tired" ...and my new favorite, "Running in the cold air makes me cough" ...any of that sound familiar to you?

It got me thinking about the different things we say to cover up the fact that we really just don't want to do something. I mean, be honest, when you say something like, "It's too cold", aren't you really just saying you don't want to run? Because if you really wanted to run, you'd figure it out...you'd layer up or run inside on a treadmill...you'd figure out a way to make it happen regardless of the weather. And I'm not judging - we've all been there. For some reason, it makes us feel better if we think we have a legitimate reason, because "I don't want to" just seems so childish.

So, we don't want to...what now?

This is the hard part. What do you do when you really should do something, but you really don't want to? Here's where the rubber meets the road because the answer to that question really shows your level of discipline. Not a real sexy word, but it's what gets you out of bed in the morning - or gets you out on the road in the cold - or ______________ (you fill in the blank). And most importantly, it tell you just how much "Diesel" lives inside of you!!

I've heard it said that to build discipline you should do something you don't want to do and not do something you do want to do...every day! And that makes sense because having discipline in a certain situation once does seem to make it easier the next time. The other thing I've found is that usually if I push through the initial "I don't want to" excuses and just do it, I feel so much better, and that after-feeling strengthens my discipline and feeds my determination, or my inner Diesel!!

Where are you right now on the Diesel continuum? Are you like me and your Diesel needs a bit of encouragement? If so, I've come up with three Diesel-Ds that may help us push through:

1. Diesel Discipline

 

Go ahead and start the daily exercise of doing one thing you don't want to do and not doing one thing you want to do. Get a calendar or notebook and just jot down what you did and what you didn't do so that you can see it. Then make plans to celebrate it after a week and then after a month!! (P.S. this can be done for anything - not just running...food choices...bad habits...being nice when you don't want to...whatever!)

2. Diesel Determination

 

Sign up for a race. The season of racing is upon us!! I know here where I live there's just about one every weekend. Pick one that far enough out for you to train for and  sign up. There's nothing like training for a race to keep you motivated and determined. Oh, and it helps if you tell someone you've signed up. Sometimes it also takes a little peer pressure to keep you on track!

 

 

3. Diesel Diary

 

Keep track of how you are feel after a run, or if you were going to run but didn't, why you didn't make it. This is so helpful in recognizing those excuses we make! You'll start to see a pattern of why you keep missing your date with the pavement. It may help you to start working to overcome the "I don't want to"s.

 

Are you on board? Find your inner Diesel and let's get this done!!!! Keep in touch and let me know how it's going!

Run Strong!!