Hills! They are my arch nemesis. Okay, I know that’s a thought, but my Inner Mean Girl (IMG) loves to taunt me when it comes to hill workouts.
I am a total flatlander. I live in the Midwest, the Prairie, amber waves of grain as far as the eye can see. So considering that I’m doing the Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon in 10 weeks, which I hear is quite hilly, I have to get all of my training in. Including hill training. Even if I’m tired. Even if it’s cold (WHY is it still so cold?). And even if my weather app tells me to stay in bed!
My Inner Mean Girl
I live in a river valley, so I do have access to what we here in the Midwest call “hills.” And I dread them every Tuesday morning. The one that is easiest for me to access is just a couple blocks from my neighborhood and leads down to the running path on the river. It’s steep (for me) and as I was trudging up and scurrying down, my IMG had a heyday! “Just stop!” “Hills suck!” “You suck at hills!” “Why are you doing this and not still in bed?” “Did I say hills suck? Because hills suck!” Also, along this hill is a gas station with a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru. So as I’m doing my hill workout, all I hear is people ordering their coffee and sweet, delicious pastries and breakfast sandwiches. My IMG loves that, too.
Nevertheless, I tell her to screw off, chant my mantra, “I am strong and I kick ass, I am focused on my task,” and do the effing hills. I want to be successful at the race more than I want to stay in my warm, comfy bed. More than I want a cream-filled donut. More than I want to high-five my IMG and tell her that she’s right, hills DO suck. So that’s what keeps me going. I know my WHY and it’s more compelling than all of those other options combined.
What’s Your Why?
Doing my daily journaling to remind myself of my WHY helps me remember this when my alarm goes off at stupid-thirty and I am not all mentally there. Because I remind myself of my WHYs every day and journal on what I need to do to achieve my goals, my brain now automatically reminds me that, no, it’s not a mistake that your alarm is going off. And I get my ass out of bed, give my IMG the middle finger, and haul my carcass up and down that damn hill. Now, if I can just change my thoughts about the hill…
Til next time,
Jen
