What are you willing to do?
….To achieve what you want to achieve?
So I’ve had a few weeks where motivation to train went downhill… a stinking cold hit… and I was generally feeling a bit meh!
Let’s bear in mind at this point we were a month away from having to run the marathon…
I’ve been trying to run London marathon (yes I know I keep going on about it!) for about 3 years now with a deferral through injury and then covid pushing it back even further…. and I always wanted London Marathon to be my first marathon and therefore never wanted to run another marathon until I had run London Marathon!
But, how much am I wanting to run this marathon?
I’m actually feeling more determined than ever to run it now…
After I got over the cold, had a chat with my coach (and got inspired by the Eliud Kipchoge 1:59 documentary!) it’s given me a good reminder of how much I actually want to run it and kick up the ass to get on with it - trusting the process!
What am I willing to do to make sure I can run it?
Yes I may moan in the process but I’m trying my best to do whatever it takes to prepare my body as much as I can (mainly with a ton load of cardio and a little bit of strength work to keep things in place!)
Well… almost… Food is debatable at this stage (It would help to lose a bit more weight but not essential so have struggled to keep bang on it more recently… mainly because I don’t NEED to and the want there isn’t great enough right now! But then again I know good food makes my body feel better so I’m really trying for these last few weeks!)
When it comes to training though… even with low motivation, a stinking cold a few weeks back I put in as much work as was reasonable while considering recovery (this was mainly getting out for the runs at least to feel prepared and lots of sleep!) I am more than willing to put in the work I NEED to do to get there!
Just to give you a taster of what that work looks like - My training for my penultimate week before the marathon this week:
Monday - Strength training followed by 1.5 hours cardio (assault bike)
Tuesday - 2 hour 45mins cardio (assault bike)
Wednesday - 1.5 hour run
Thursday - 2 hour 45mins cardio (assault bike)
Friday - Strength training followed by 1.5 hours cardio (assault bike)
Saturday - 3 hour run
Sunday - Rest Day
But with these goals of ours that mean alot to us…. there are somedays that you may not be motivated, may not “feel like” doing what you need to do and some things during the process that we may not enjoy, may not like to do, may be hard, may be boring along the way….
….And do you know what, sometimes we need to just toughen up and do them anyway if you REALLY want to achieve those challenging goals! (anything worth doing is never going to come easy… you have to put in the hard work!)
When I started training for the marathon this time round I thought sitting on the assault bike for 20 minutes felt like hell and was tough and boring to do… but I did it!
Now, 2 weeks before the marathon I think sitting on bike for for 2 and a half hours (oh wait my coach has just increased this to 2hrs 45mins.. yay!) is still tough and boring… but I’m still doing it!
Why?
Needs must - I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO RUN THE LONDON MARATHON (and not be broken at the end of it… you never know it may be the first of many!)
(…Well and because I’m a bit of sadist and after many sessions on the assault bike I now prefer it over a normal exercise bike!)
But do you know what….
When I started training for the marathon this time round I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to run without getting pain in my ankle or I wasn’t going to be able to get fit enough to run again…
But look where I am now…. running for 2 hours straight, no ankle pain, no aching or feeling wiped out the next day! (I’ll let you know in a couple of weeks how I feel after finishing my longest run I’ll be doing before the marathon which is 3 hours!)
so the process of getting there has already shown I can do things I didn’t think I could.
And ultimately I’m just thinking forward to how much of an achievement I’m going to feel when I cross that finish line in London on 3rd October.
…and who knows, it may the first of many!
But sometimes, we’re just not willing to put in the work needed to achieve the end goal… and maybe, just maybe that’s because we don’t want it as much as we thought in the first place… and that’s fine!
…And sometimes, we just can’t make the actions needed to achieve it a priority right now… and that’s ok too!
It’s YOUR goal to chose!
So DREAM BIG I say, and do things that scare and excite you…
But remember to think about…
How much do you REALLY want it?
And more importantly, WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO to get there?
