On I went, out of the wood, passing the man leading without knowing I was going to do so. Flip-flap, flip-flap, jog-trot, jog-trot, curnchslap-crunchslap, across the middle of a broad field again, rhythmically running in my greyhound effortless fashion, knowing I had won the race though it wasn't half over, won it if I wanted it, could go on for ten or fifteen or twenty miles if I had to and drop dead at the finish of it, which would be the same, in the end, as living an honest life like the governor wanted me to. -Alan Sillitoe, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"

Friday, March 16, 2012

How do you do it?

I see you all. I read your running blogs.

I see how you get up every morning before 5am. I see how you prepare your fancy breakfast of yogurts or oatmeals or cut-up fruit on toast (and then take a picture of it, of course). Then you sit down for a bit to drink your coffee while your food digests. Maybe you read the newspaper. Probably you do an hour of charity work.

Then I see how you get out the door by 6 every day for your 5 or 7 or 8 "quick, easy" miles - of course I see it, you post your Garmin stats! And usually a picture of the sunrise. Or maybe of you, sweaty in your running clothes.

And you do this all before work. Where you eat a salad for lunch, usually one that you prepared at home and brought to work. And then go to spin class after work before a shower and bed by 10 or 11.

I'm jealous.

I don't know how you do it. My life is messy. My splits are uneven. I'm always running late. I don't get enough sleep. Some days - gasp - I sleep right through my run because I was up too late the night before, either out drinking or just messing around on the internet. I don't eat breakfast most days. Some days I forget to eat lunch; when I do eat lunch, it's usually a burger. And fries. Dinner is ice cream and beer more often than I should admit. And then I stay up until 1am. Rinse, repeat.

And my race times show it, and my waistline shows it.

So, seriously: how do you do it?

27 comments:

  1. They do it that way because they're boring. ;p

    Or so I tell myself.

    BRB EATING MORE FOOD

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  2. Uh, I do it the way you do it.

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  3. I don't run EVERY morning at 5:30AM, but twice a week I can get it done. And it is absolutely because (a) my asshole cats wake me up to get fed and (b) I am as boring as all get out. The nights before I usually make dinner (and lunch for the next day!) at home and get in the bed before 10. Rockin'. Oh, and I don't eat food before I run in the mornings. No time. I wake up, put on clothes, drink a big water, and leave.

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  4. Replies
    1. ...no chance you're offering, is there?

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    2. Come on and move in! I'll make you a healthy breakfast, send you to work with a packed lunch! & we'll only have ice cream for dinner every once in a while =)

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  5. You do it after work. I like running before work because it gets it out of the way, but logistically it sucks. (Run by myself, either have to run my flat boardwalk, or shower at the disgusting Bally's gym)

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    Replies
    1. But then I have no evening, and thus no life. Waaaaaaaah.

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  6. You do it by caring so much that you put out a Hollywood-shiny version of your life, that you don't have room in your life for anything else like truth. After all, nothing is as important as looking perfect!

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    Replies
    1. I think we're on the same wavelength... but then every now and then you have to have a "hard truths" post talking about how your life isn't ALWAYS perfect. Like that one time you added croutons to your salad after the picture was taken.

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    2. Starting right away though you TOTALLY are going to be PERFECT. Because it's just as easy as SAYING you're going to do it. And anyone who says otherwise is a loser and just doesn't want perfection hard enough.

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    3. Yup. I agree with this one. That's how they do: picture perfect healthy blogging life above all else! They also have time expanders so an hour in our lives is usually an hour in theirs.

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  7. These people lie. At least this is what I tell my lazy ass self.

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    Replies
    1. Hmmm... new blog idea: shiny fabulous lies.

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    2. Agree about the lying! And what I tell myself. :-)

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  8. Thanks, Tracy. Now I'm hungry. For a burger and fries.

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    Replies
    1. Something like 90% of the photos I have of myself have me with either ice cream or beer in them. Time to start taking burger photos, I think. Thanks for the idea, Mike!

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  9. If you figure it out, please post it here. :-)

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  10. Ran my worst of three half marathons this morning, please please let me know how others do it. I am ready to stick to what I excel at - drinking wine, reading, and bossing the children around.

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    Replies
    1. Yep, drinking and reading - two of my biggest strengths, too! :)

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  11. im delayed in reading this post but i needed you to know...I. FREAKIN. LOVE. IT.

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