The No-Thank-You Workout

Every athlete faces lagging motivation once in awhile.  The training is planned and there's no obstacle except your puny little mind trying to avoid the workout.  Comic and runner, The Oatmeal, has even named his motivation-destroyer The Blerch that attempts to sabotage his workouts!

For me, it rarely happens during a workout, but in the hours leading up to it.  Once every few weeks or so, and it's usually when a run is scheduled, I get home and lay down on the bed and come up with a really good reason excuse why I should wisely delay my run to the next day.  The leading excuse is, "I'm tired."  And generally I am - I don't get near enough sleep, but that's a blog for another day.  Tired is followed closely by "I'm hungry" and "I don't feel good."

Luckily, a few brain cells remember that I generally feel better AFTER the workout...

So, here's the deal I make: Go for twenty minutes, and if I still don't feel like doing it, I may stop.  No regrets.  Twenty minutes is better than nothing, right?  I will still get sweaty and worthy of a shower and food, so it's a pretty fair deal to make with aforementioned puny little mind.

Okay, fine.  Challenge accepted.

Off the bed.

Change the clothes.

Pull on the trainers.

C'mon Garmin, time for twenty quick minutes, and then we can eat!

Even though I'm an engineer and LOVE data, I've never really tracked the results of this little "deal."  However, I can recall only ONE time I bailed after twenty minutes.  I was out sick for a week after that time.

Turns out that twenty minutes is just enough time for me to push past all the mental bullshit and let some endorphins take over.  It's not to say that those workouts are any easier or more enjoyable, but the balance of power (and chemistry) has shifted so that puny little mind is powerless to fight the body which is now feeling a little better.

Again, no data to validate this, but I recall some of my best training efforts have come following "the deal" to go twenty minutes.  Not sure why, but I know there's usually more focus and determination on those nights when I'd rather be sleeping or eating.  Such was the case two nights ago.

Hard to get a good image at 7.4 mph, but here's proof I made it past 20:00 and was still trucking...

I don't recall when I started making "the deal" with myself, but it's worked well for the past five years of racing triathlons.  It's not my original idea, I don't think, but rather a little twist on the "no thank you helping."

Growing up, my parents both worked full-time and also prepared dinner just about every night for me and my brothers.  My mother is a great cook and what hit the dinner plate was often unique, but typically delicious.  And there were no 'special meals' if you didn't particularly like the menu.  I hear about finicky children all the time, and we may not have been any different, except that we HAD TO TRY every food that was served.

"Yuck. I don't want any of that."

"Well, take a no thank you helping."

We always tried to only take the smallest bite-sized serving, you know, enough to leave a morsel of residue on the plate proving the food was actually sampled.  Rarely did we take on more (could not reveal that this new food wasn't some deadly poison or possibly even tasty!), but the next time it was served, no coaxing, or perhaps less coaxing, was involved... except for beef liver.  Only my mother ever liked it!

The chronic result over several years was that we all cultivated curious and receptive palates, willing to try all manners of cuisine.  I consider this a simple and powerful gift from my parents, to now enjoy a deep appreciation for all kinds of food, but also for those who sacrifice time and resources to prepare it.  Today I consider it a great insult to not even try something, especially as a guest!

The "no thank you" helpings at my family's dinner table have become my "no thank you" twenty-minute helpings in training.  The long-term benefits of years of forced food sampling have become my ability to race faster and harder, because I consistently complete more workouts when I would have otherwise enjoyed a nap and a snack.

Not that I love all those workouts later after my "no thank you" helping, but I always feel better.  You never know until you give it at least a little try!