BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION-Keep showing up

 

Hello runner friends!
Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!

Now let's get started by talking about how surrounding yourself with people who are committed to moving can motivate you to show up and to keep showing up for your workouts (especially the ones you don't want to do). But before we do, allow me to share what my dear friend and Race Director for the Fort2Base Race (and many other events) had to say for her F2B Training Tip Tuesday... words that inspired me to reach out to her to get, as Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story."

Beth along with her crew pre-COVID

It is time to get back to training – I am not speaking about your training (but maybe this applies to you) but to me! I had a very stubborn injury that after seeing a few foot doctors and other specialists, finally came down to me changing my running shoes! Palm to face! So now I had no excuse not to get back into a routine and then COVID hit – double palm to face. I spent way too many months on the couch watching NCIS re-runs, feeling sorry for myself and gaining the COVID 19. In January, I decided it was time to change all of that. I can’t control COVID but I can control by response to COVID. I changed my eating habits (16 pounds gone – buh bye) and I worked out every day in January with the Fort2Base Boot Campers!

I wanted to get back to running, but didn’t have the motivation. I would get on the treadmill here and there and when it finally warmed up, I went outside here and there, but never with any consistency. Last week at our International Running Day, I walked with some really awesome people. People who were committed to moving, some were faster than others, but everyone SHOWED UP!

The Alpine Runners invited me to join their club, they have group runs almost every day of the week and for every skill level. I was never a fast runner, but I was strong and had endurance, all of which is gone. I am starting from scratch, as I know many of you are too! So, I signed up and joined the couch to 5K group. I remember when I was at a consistent training level where I could run a half marathon without having to change anything, but where I am today is an out of shape walker. Do you know how to get stronger and faster? SHOW UP!

So today I am committing to my training and SHOWING UP! I will keep you updated on my journey as I hope you keep me updated on yours!

The key is to get out there and KEEP SHOWING UP!

Keep showing up? Could it really be that simple? Could the motivation to succeed be found in just showing up? In one word... YES! Consistency is the key to reaching any goal. And it's exponentially easier to be consistent when you are part of a group that will not only encourage you but hold you accountable. 

Here is Beth working a race expo with some other amazing Race Directors including our very own Bass Pro and Dogwood Canyon RD Melissa Bondy. She is sandwiched between my daughter, Hope, and me on the right. 

Now, before you exclaim, "That's easy for Beth to say since she is surrounded by people who love to run and workout and probably got back to it easily with a smile on her face," here's the "rest of the story." Beth is just like you and me. She does have people in her life who would love her to succeed and get back to running, but she still had a million excuses as to why today just wasn’t the day to start. Which is why I begged the question, "Why January? What compelled you to make the change then?" And this is what Beth shared with me...

"COVID was challenging for me. All my races got shut down and I went from being super busy to nothing. I went from traveling and working events, taking 20+ flights a year to 13 months of not flying or directing any in-person races. I was watching too much TV and missing the friends that I saw at the events." Beth went on to say, "Social media just isn't the same as getting together and I just became sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was the heaviest I had ever been and I was uncomfortable." 

And I love what Beth said next, "I just couldn't see an end to all of it. But I remembered what I always said as a Race Director, 'I can't control the weather (which has the power to delay or cancel races) but I can control my reaction to the weather and my preparedness for it.' This led me to the realization that I couldn't control COVID, the races being canceled, or anything else related to that but I could control my reaction to all of it." So the rest is history. Beth is now showing up!! 

And you know, as Beth and I talked a little more, I was touched by a few things she said about her experience on International Running Day on June 2, 2021 when she joined the Alpine Runners that I hope will motivate you to start showing up to local group runs in your area or maybe even join a Couch to 5k group if you're like her and starting from scratch. 

• I realized that accountability was missing. You need a group of people who, when you say, "I'll be there," will hold you to your word. 
• There is power in groups. Some people are self-motivated but the majority of people, like me, need a group. Especially ones who make everyone (no matter their pace or ability) feel welcome. 
• Starting from scratch is necessary sometimes. I want to get back to where I was but I know it will take time. 
• If you're unmotivated, you have to get the point when you want more and when you get to that point you have to move. 
• You just gotta show up!!! That's where it begins. 

So there you have it friends. Showing up is the key to getting started and continuing to show up is the key to maintaining the motivation to reach your goals. So find a friend, group or program that will welcome you in, hold you accountable, and cheer you on and join it. And then like Beth says, "KEEP SHOWING UP!" 

Happy Running!!!