Mantras

I'm a big fan of mantras and like to repeat them over and over again in my head for clarity and motivation. Mantras help me stay on track throughout the day and also as it relates to the bigger picture.

The latest mantra in my head is short and sweet and quite unoriginal, but very easy to remember.

Don't. Be. Lazy.

I've been repeating this to myself over and over again this past week. It's silly, really. But it stuck in my head after spending at least an hour pouring through Mr. Money Mustache's blog the other day. (Shoutout to CB-F for introducing this to me!)

Mr. Money Mustache ("MMM") notes how addicted we have become to modern convenience. Real-life examples for me: hopping in my car to drive less than 0.5 miles to pick up coffee in the morning, or driving to Whole Foods (1-mile away) every single night to purchase pre-made dinner foods. MMM urges us to focus on happiness itself over convenience and luxury. To learn to mock convenience. To stop being lazy.

Over the last week, I've started making tweaks to my daily life per MMM's suggestions, all while repeating my new mantra. Don't be lazy, girlfraand! (Yes, that's actually how I talk to myself in my head sometimes).

Last night I incorporated a stop at Safeway into my evening run to pick up rice and avocados. Last week I biked to the grocery store and purchased $75 worth of groceries, less $13 thanks to my coupons. Granted, I had to walk my bike home because the backpack was too heavy for me. I have not driven our car in over a week and we have eaten homemade meals the last 8 nights in a row. All of the above is a huge accomplishment considering the fact that we ate out every single night the week before last.

Learning to ride my bike again

Naturally, I've also been trying to apply "don't be lazy" to my running. On Saturday, I ran to and from the SFRC group run. This added 4 miles to my run and helped me reach my goal of running 70 miles last week. Normally, I drive. I also convinced myself to run 5 miles at marathon pace, solo, last Friday after work. Pretty tough to get myself to run on Friday afternoons, let alone do a workout! But in the spirit of not being lazy and staying committed to my sub-3 hour marathon goal, I got it done.

They key is to stay consistent with all of the above and not let myself fall prey to laziness. I consider myself to be inherently more lazy than I let on, so this is a true challenge. Of course I won't be perfect in the coming days, weeks, and months, and I'll certainly find good reasons to be "lazy" in the name of fun! But I think that's A-OK. So long as I run a sub-3 hour marathon :)

1.5 months 'til GO-TIME!

A lot has happened since my last post. Mainly, as of September 21st, 2013, my tax filing status changed to "married."

Shout-out to my handsome Groom

While I've been absorbed in all things related to the aforementioned tax status change, I've managed to stay consistent in my running. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Atop Mt. Tam on our wedding morning (in the pouring rain)

And while I haven't exactly stuck to a strict marathon training schedule, per se, I've kept my mileage relatively high, and somehow managed to take myself to a new level in XC. 

I write this at the conclusion of a 70 mile week. A combination of hills and trails are my secret ingredient. So far this season I've run 3 XC races and demolished my old PRs. And, I'm consistently running at a pace much faster than my usual jog. 

The only thing that's changed about my training is my newfound love for trail running, which of course equates to running lots of hills. And I'm fairly certain this is what's helped me take my running to a new level.

I've spent the last few years lollygagging along the flat pavement - Chrissy Field to the GG bridge, the Berkeley marina loop, and the Mill Valley bike path. I avoided the unknown.

My transition to the trails was slow at first and started with a few Mt. Tam summits, which Travis essentially made me do with him. I was further spurred on to seek out trails by some promising results on Strava, a few new "hardcore" trailrunning friends, and Travis' 50-mile training schedule.

Mile 8 of 50; on his way to 5th place overall!

A few months back, I would have never considered doing back-to-back trail runs with over 1,000 ft of elevation change per run. Now, I seek out the elevation and recognize how strong the hills have made me. Furthermore, I believe my body has been able to handle the "stress" of the hills because of the soft-footing on the trails. Strava has made trailrunning extra, extra fun with the promise of shiny crowns at the end of every run.

So, 1.5 months out from CIM, I have not done a ton of marathon-focused workouts, but I'm feeling stronger and more confident than ever and I'm simply having fun with my running. I continue to keep my eyes on the prize (a sub-3 hour marathon) and I will continue pounding the hills and trails because it's working for me.

With the changing light of daylight savings looming in the not-to-far distance, I'll have to make some adjustments in my hill training, but I've got my headlamp and a few new running friends by my side.

Thursday AM Ninja Run