Recently I wrote about 3 things you can do to pull yourself out of a slump and shared with you my own struggle to get my training back on track. Since applying the 3 steps (Re-evaluate your goals, Develop a plan of action, Speak your intentions to the world) I am excited to report that I have seen major improvement in my running!
No More Slump!
First of all I participated in the Micah Rine Wildcat Legacy 5K. I chose this race because the family of Micah holds a special place in my heart and it’s a great way to use my talent to support and honor them. Even though I am not in 5K racing shape, I felt that getting back to the distance I enjoy had potential to lift my spirits. I set realistic and achievable race goals and nailed them! This did wonders for my confidence. After the race I logged in enough extra miles to give me a total of 12 for the day and was pleased that I was able to hold a steady pace 9:30 pace especially after racing. The last mile was a little tough, but nothing like I had been experiencing on my previous long runs. It was fun to have the company of my fellow Lady Bison, Tia and Jackie, for a portion of that run!
Dennis, Terri, & Casey Rine & me after the Micah Rine Wildcat Legacy 5K in Searcy, AR
Second, I took on the challenge of running my final long run of marathon training, 20 miles! Unlike all my other long runs in training for this marathon, I did not dread this one. I had some concerns, but I viewed it as just something that needed to get done last weekend. Talk about nailing it: I ran 20 miles 35 minutes faster than I ran 18 miles a few weeks ago! And I only stopped twice, once to go the bathroom and the other to exchange phone numbers with a new friend I made on the river trail!
Shifting Perception=Changing Attitude
As I reflect back over the changes I made to pull myself out of my slump, I realize that attitude is everything! A few weeks ago I was telling people that I hated the marathon. Since following the 3 steps to pull myself out of my slump, I realize I don’t hate the marathon at all. I am blessed with the opportunity to get to travel to Greece and run the distance one more time. I have a bigger goal of staying healthy so that I can be competitive in my December 5K. Shifting my perception has changed my attitude, made me happy, and enabled me to perform better. Attitude is everything!
When you find yourself struggling, chances are good that making a small shift in your perception will change your attitude. Sometimes it’s our own self-imposed labeling that ultimately brings us down. One of the many concepts we explore in my online nutrition program, Clean Up Your Diet, is not labeling yourself as Vegan, Paleo, etc. because it can lead you down the path to feeling like a failure when you find yourself craving or even eating “forbidden foods”. We talk about how this can affect other areas of your life. Just like me feeling like a fraud when I was labeling myself a marathon runner and how those bad feelings about myself were wreaking havoc on my running and making me feel like a failure!
Clean Up Your Diet
You can learn more about the Clean Up Your Diet Program by Clicking Here. The final round of 2014 will take place November 3rd -23rd, just in time to get you prepared for the Holidays! In fact I will even be including The Healthiest of Holidays Guide as a special bonus at no extra cost to you. Click Here for all the details.
I would love to here your thoughts or any aha moments. Leave a comment below and share what labels you put on yourself that cause you anxiety and affect you negatively. Or if you have made a small shift in your perception tell me how that has changed your attitude of the better by leaving a comment below.
