Leave Your Excuses for the Birds to Peck at... Monday, October 14

Everyone has an excuse -- an excuse why they can't train or didn't train -- and my excuse is that I'm sick of excuses.  Excuses are for people who really don't want it bad enough and I'm convinced of this.  If it's important to you, you'll find a way.  If not, you'll find an excuse.  I really try to take a NO EXCUSE stance with training and staying physically fit among my Hulk members, because there's always something you can do, but I am all that more strict with this policy in my own life.  After all, how can I get my members to take my words seriously and digest what I say if I don't live what I preach?!  Exactly.

 

Moreover, I try hard to make myself publicly accountable for my training.  I've got my weekly training break-down posted on the back of the juice bar wall at Hulk's, I always track my runs with the Map My Run phone application, WOW President asks me daily about my training, I blog about it, various Hulk members follow my routine with me on select days, and Snickers is my coach so he knows what training I do and when.  The added pressure of others knowing about my training helps me to push myself not only with my training consistancy but with upping the weight during a workout or high tailing it on a run. 

 

Yesterday I had complained about heading out for a run in the midday sun -- I hate midday runs with a passion -- and today I complained about it again.  I had messaged a friend earlier on Facebook, telling her that I was going to go run but now it was quickly coming up to noon and I still hadn't got ready for it.  Snickers asked me if I was going to go running and then he was quick to add some frowned eyebrows to his question.

 

"Yes, I'm going for a run... now", and that's exactly what I did.

 

I couldn't blame it on the midday sun... it comes up like clockwork, no surprise there.

I couldn't blame it on waking up late... the alarm went off, I just used and abused the snooze button.

I couldn't blame it on being too busy... someone busier than me was running, hello WOW President!!!
I couldn't blame it on a lack of time... it was my fault I left the house too late.

I couldn't blame it on the turkey eaten last night... it never jumped into my mouth, I fed myself.
I couldn't blame it on being full from breakfast... I should have ran before breakfast, as originally planned.
I couldn't blame it on the coffee I drank... it was silly of me to risk a possible 'poopy situation', again.
I couldn't blame it on having no dry training wear... serves me right for hanging laundry late last night.
I couldn't blame it on my sore foot... it was my fault for not buying new outdoor runners yet.

 

I've met numerous successful people who have clearly beat what most would lean on as yet another excuse to give up -- a sprinter with a prosthetic leg, a 72 year old professional bodybuilder, a cross country cyclist with one arm, and that's just to name a few.  So when I think of them and the greater challenge they face on a daily bases with training, me and my I-don't-like-the-sun excuse seems pretty petty and ultra silly. 

 

I did get out today and run -- I ran my usual route but at 5:22min/km.  It was much slower than my usual pacing but I ran.  I had beat my own excuses and kicked my own butt out there in the blazing hot sun.  Later in the evening I had commented to a member that perhaps I couldn't do legs today with weight training.  It was getting late and Snickers was thinking of closing the club early.  Reminded myself of my NO EXCUSE policy and got going on my leg workout.  Finished legs at 12:10am.