Just like everyone else, I have a million excuses on any given day for why running is a terrible idea. They have lessened some over the years but a few still linger. Here’s my top 10 (I think I’ll do it Letterman style and put the number 10 one first – pretend you hear the music and see the graphics in the background and I think it will be more entertaining):
10. My running clothes are in the hamper/washer/on the floor – this one is surprisingly common. Which is weird because I spend more money on running clothes than on regular clothes so you’d think this would not be an issue, but I have a bra that is my favorite and if it’s dirty, I can usually talk myself out of running. Ridiculous but true especially considering that even if it is dirty it will smell exactly the same 10 minutes into my run as it would if it were clean . . . thoughts to ponder.
9. My period (sorry guys reading this – I don’t mean to offend). When you’ve got horrible cramps and are exhausted, the last thing that seems like a good idea is going out and running 4 miles. But the truth is, we feel better during this time of the month when we run and although sometimes I succumb to this one, when I push past it and get out there anyway I am ALWAYS glad I did.
8. I’m too busy this week – this one is actually legit but the problem is, I could use it EVERY week and then where would I be? Doughy and depressed, that’s where. We are all too busy to run EVERY week. Sometimes I am jealous of full-time runners like Kara Goucher who do this for a living but the truth is, I have to figure out where to fit it in because when I take care of ME I have the energy and patience to take care of everyone else. No one will ever pay me to train – I must make the time and make it a priority or it just won’t happen.
7. It’s too hot/cold/windy/rainy/humid. I am a total wimp when it comes to weather. I am working on this and even bought a great Nike rain jacket and have started venturing out even if it’s wet. Lately, of course, it’s too hot EVERY day. If I’m not out the door by 6am, I must use my treadmill which is not my favorite.
6. I hate the treadmill. This one is just true. So I must fight through it and just get on the darn thing. By about the third mile I’m usually OK with it but that first 2 all I want to do the whole time is stop. Seriously. Nothing defines my strength of character more than the ability to stay on the treadmill. She said without a hint of sarcasm;).
5. Something hurts. Now I realize that if you’re really injured this is ABSOLUTELY legit, but truthfully I’m also a huge baby when it comes to pain. My lower back aches sometimes, my knees will feel a little creaky and my feet can hurt. However in talking to others who are also 42 I’m learning that this is pretty much true from time to time of non-runners as well (maybe even more) so I’m learning to just “suck it up cupcake” and get out there. If it still hurts after I’ve started running I’ll stop but that rarely happens. In fact, it never has. The aches and pains usually subside by the end of the first mile.
4. It’s really early in the morning and my whole family is sleeping and I don’t want to leave my wonderful home and dogs to go out and bang out a 10 mile long run. Enough said. Think this one every time I leave at 5:30 am on a Saturday morning.
3. I ate too much/drank too much/stayed up too late the night before. And the only thing that will make me feel better, truly, is going for a run so get out there, Girl. I’ve even been known to mutter under my breath “I’ll feel better after I run, I’ll feel better after I run” I’ve actually woken Scott up from a sound sleep with this one. He’s pretty sure I’m crazy.
2. I’m not good at running. This is actually true if you compare me to others. But compared to ME, I’m spectacular. I have come further than I ever would have imagined when it took me 3 months to work up to running one mile, and the fact that I can now do 26.2 is nothing short of a miracle. This one is an out and out lie and I won’t fall for it. Usually.
1. It’s hard. Yup, it is. But when I push past all of the excuses above and get out the door anyway, I am proving to myself that I am stronger and capable of more than I ever imagined. God designed me to move, and I will trust him to give me what I need.
My favorite running verse is not the one you might expect, but rather 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I run best when I have to lean on the power of God to give me my strength. May your day be filled with excuses that force you to rely on something beyond yourself to give you strength!! Happy running!!
Jen