Staying Motivated and Getting the Workouts Done

When the alarm goes off at 4:00 AM, it is quite startling. I am usually very sound asleep at that time; it is dark, and the electronic alarm clock seems piercing and not at all pleasant. Lately I have had to wake up at 4 or 4:15 AM in order to get my workouts in before work. I could wait until after work to workout which is something I used to always do. But the heat in Richmond during the summer is often oppressive. The only solution is to get up early, put on my head lamp (as to not disturb my wife's slumber), fumble around for all the things I need for a workout-pants, socks, shoes, heart rate monitor/watch, and perhaps a shirt and then get moving.

When I get up this early, before I even get out of bed I usually first grab my iPod touch which has its nighttime home on my bed stand, get on Facebook, and announce to all my virtual friends that I am up early to workout. This first step is a physical and mental trick to get me going. The back lit screen burns my eyes with seemingly searing light which wakes me up some. And the affirmation on Facebook commits me to actually getting out of bed and doing the workout. I wrote it down for all to see-I must do it.

Another thing I do to help me get motivated to not go back to sleep is to visualize racing, visualize myself as a triathlete. This is what triathletes do. They get up before the sun and workout. And often these workouts are not simply short runs around the block. For instance, my Tuesday morning workout consists of 45 to 60 minutes of intervals on the bike trainer or 60 minutes of steady riding followed by 30 minutes of fairly fast running. Fast for me anyway.

Staying motivated is the key to being able to continue to workout hard week after week. Again, using self talk and little tricks helps me. For instance, my training day starts on a Monday. It is one of the easiest days because it is a rest day. I sleep until 6 and don't workout. A couple of times I have gone to a yoga class on a Monday but mostly I just wake up, go to work, eat mostly all day, come home, eat dinner, watch 40 minutes of Hulu and go to bed. Then comes the Tuesday workout. Since Wednesday is a rest day, I use that fact to help me stay motivated for the Tuesday morning wake up and subsequent workout. I just tell myself that "tomorrow is a rest day" or "Just one workout and then I get to rest."

On Thursday, I have had a day off and I am ready to roll. And I only have to run. So not only do I not have to get up quite as early, but since I am not doing a brick, I think of it as an easier workout. I tell myself, "just a little run." Forget the fact that my Thursday run calls for mile repeats at zone 4. I try not to think about that part of it. I just get out there an knock it out.

There are other things I do to stay immersed in the proper mindset. I read Runners World magazine, Triathlete Magazine, blogs about Triathlons, and right now I am reading a book about a guy who ran across America in 50 days. I also think of how lucky I am to be able to do what I do. My younger brother gets up every day and goes to work. Each day is a workout for him. Even simple things like putting on his socks and shoes takes some work. But he does it every day. He could collect a social security disability check. But he doesn't. He faces each day's physical challenge as stoically as any John Wayne character ever did. I think about him often when I workout. My brother is another weapon in my motivation arsenal.

This Saturday I will toe the line in the Luray International Triathlon. The course will be hilly on the bike and the run. The swim will be the longest I have ever swum in a race and includes several turns. It will be hard work to stay on course during the swim. But I am confident I will have a blast. I have trained well and look forward to stepping up to the challenge.