Excuses, excuses, excuses. Oh how you make it so easy to disregard our strict training plans to opt for rogue days off or an easier route. It happens to the best of us. Trying to distinguish excuses from legitimate reasons, to not go for a run, hit the workout pace, sign up for a race (enter anyother activity that sounds less than desirable right now) is confusing. Even worse, if you realize you do have an excuse standing in your way, then you actually have to face it.
So, to combat the excuse trap, here are blogs filled with motivation - Motivation that may be just a tad bit more effective than your motivational quote board on Pinterest...
EXCUSE PROOF
We can't deny an easy out is extremely tempting at times. The bed feels too cozy, or the work day seemed too long. We hear that smooth-talking voice in our head telling us not go on the we run we planned, and it's game over. In this blog, (fun GIF's and graphics included) Kelly Roberts gives us her five best tips for silencing that pesky voice, and finding the motivation to embrace the run you had planned.
ENDURE
Who better to teach you how to endure than the Queen of Endurance herself!? Steph Bruce doesn't just know how to hop on the pain train, she gets on, and then makes herself the conductor. Steph talks us through one of her hardest workouts of her career. Despite every excuse to quit and try again another day, she finishes strong - Choosing to practice the act of enduring, over the practice of surrendering.
FLYWAY - COLLIER ON THE IMPOSSIBLE SEASON
In this piece, Collier gives snapshots of events and dialogue from a season where making excuses could have been easy, valid even (like running an ultra mid-season). But in classic Collier fashion, her admirable relentlessness and character, leads her to look past the excuses and toward the memorable experiences gained.
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?
Lauren tells the story of the 2007 USATF Championship 5,000m when she stopped on the track with 1,000m to go. Standing there, in the midst of a race consumed by self-doubt, she asked herself one question "Can you physically run?" - The answer that follows is an exemplary act of pure grit and determination.
Enjoy these reads and start building your excuse proof shield!