Endurance Workouts Are Killing You?

If endurance workouts for your next marathon or other race seem to be killing you time-wise, then you can probably relate to this.

I was making plans to speak to a local group of people who run with their dogs. And I decided to ask the group’s organizer to survey the members on the topic that they preferred that I cover. She approved my request and emailed my survey, in which I gave five different topics from which to choose, to the group’s members.

My jaw dropped when I saw the results. 83% of those responding to the survey said that they wanted to learn how to find time for running or walking workouts. Fraction-wise, that works out to five-sixths of respondents!

There was only a 0.026% probability for this concurrence among the respondents, based on the number of survey takers and assuming that each person was equally likely to choose any of the five topics.

Most of these dog lovers are not your average runners. No, these are people who train with others for half marathons or marathons and also participate in a second group dedicated to running with their dogs.

These are highly motivated runners, and yet they wanted to know how to find time to work out.

I was stunned.

I don’t know whether you have this challenge, and I hope for your sake that you do not, if you run marathons, half marathons or other endurance races. But I talk to many endurance runners and walkers who have trouble finding time to work out.

So I want to share with you a few ideas on how you can FIX your workout problem and actually dream of sticking to your workout schedule (because it’s possible)!

Here’s how:

It’s Called a “Schedule” and Not a
“Maybe I Will” for a Reason

There are many workout-scheduling programs and ideas out there, but I like to do what works and is simple. Definitely without question, the single biggest mistake that people make with their workout schedules is that they try to use willpower to stick to them. They try to “gut it out” and go against their emotions, but their emotions always win.

Over time, you get results that don’t match your “best laid plans” for your endurance runs or walks.

So here is …

Workout Rule #1:
Schedule WITH your emotions,
NOT against them.

If you don’t do this, then your workout schedule will become worth the paper on which it is written or printed, and suddenly you’ll feel worse than if you had never made a schedule!

Imagine what it feels like every day to reach the end of the day and be faced with the reality that you have continued to fall behind in your workouts (with more such days coming all the time!).

If you have run or walked any endurance race or have talked with anyone who has, then you know that you can NOT train “at the last minute” for one!

Letting day after day pass without working out can be a HUGE psychological drain on you. It’s very similar to anything else that you know that you should be doing.

Okay, great, but how do you schedule with your emotions instead of against them?

I determined my best time of day to work out. And, then, when I want to be sure that time of day is my emotional supporter instead of my emotional enemy when it comes to working out, I simply work out at THAT time of day. That’s it.

For example, my best time of day to run or walk is early in the morning. So I run or walk soon after I wake up.

I love (Did you notice the emotion there?!) these early-morning workouts because they give me energy for the day and because I like the feeling (Emotions again!) of knowing that my workout is done for the day.

You may have a better time of day for you. It depends on when your emotions best support your workouts.

Now, I know to put all my runs and walks in the early morning.

Biggest problem … SOLVED!

I still get invitations to participate in midday or evening workouts, but I NEVER have trouble saying “No” to the wrong time of day. And it’s not because I don’t get a lot of invitations or opportunities. Instead, it’s because I know the right time of day for me. I don’t dwell on rejecting these opportunities. And this “right time of day” idea is a killer.

I actually have more FUN with my runs and walks because I know that I am doing them when my emotions best support me.

Now, let me share with you an even MORE important rule that will make training for an endurance race a lot easier.

Basically, it comes down to compassion!

Workout Rule #2:
Forgive yourself whenever
you miss a workout.

Yes, you can learn to forgive yourself whenever you miss a workout. But notice that I did not say that you should forget that you have missed a workout. That would be foolish.

For example, if you were supposed to run or walk eleven miles last Saturday morning but you missed the workout, then you should forgive yourself as soon as possible for that but you also should analyze why you missed it and identify what you should do to modify the remainder of your workouts before your upcoming endurance race.

I’ve missed several workouts in my endurance-racing career. Now, whenever I miss a workout for whatever reason, I “let it go” but also analyze why I missed it and figure out how to “catch up” — if that is even possible or necessary — before my next race.

This keeps my mind free of the negative self-talk that comes with blaming myself for missing a workout. I can then concentrate on moving forward with my training — however I CHOOSE to — instead of beating myself up for missing that workout.

The truth is, a missed workout can be a good thing. It sometimes gives my body and mind a break from all the training that’s necessary to prepare for an endurance race. If I miss a workout, I just regroup and readjust the remainder of my training schedule.

The point is, I avoid using the Law of Attraction in a negative way. If I were to beat myself up mentally every time that I missed a workout, then I would be attracting more missed workouts into my life by putting all that emotional energy behind the thoughts of missed workouts. So I keep my mind clear to focus on what I love about endurance training and racing.

I cannot tell you how powerful these two little tricks alone have been to reducing my likelihood of Being Overwhelmed by Workouts.

If you like this post and you want some more clever tricks on how to find time for your workouts, then please post a comment below and tell me what you think!

I have a couple of great strategies to share that I’ve never seen or heard anywhere else, if you’re interested. Let me know, if you would like to hear about them! 🙂