WEEK 27: DAY 183: Summer Recap

Wow, has this summer flown by! I cannot believe it has been since Day 102 of training that I last made an entry. I apologize for my absence this summer. I have been in Houston, Texas doing a tax internship, and time has not been on my side. I shouldn’t say that. Time is always there. It is up to you and me to decide how we will use that time. I quickly discovered how difficult it is to train for a marathon when one is working a 50 hour work week. Discipline is essential if any training is to be done, for one must either train early in the morning before work or later in the evening when the sun is going down.

I must be honest with you, I was not as religious about my running as I had been while I was in school. I did join a gym down here in Houston, so I stayed faithful to my lifting regimen, but my running suffered.

I did not let that hinder my spirits though. Over the course of the summer, I have filled my mind with positive messages from inspirational authors. I have read Matthew Kelly’s The Rhythm of Life, James Ray’s The Science of Success, and Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret. All of these books had much to offer me in the area of personal motivation, but the one message I found that was clearly present in each of these pieces of literature was this:

What you think about, you bring about.

That’s right, you have the ability to achieve whatever you want in life. It all starts with a dream and a vision. Create that vision of your success, and keep it present in your mind as much as possible. James Ray says, “The more vividly your dreams live in your mind, the more quickly they materialize.”

So each night this summer, before I went to bed, I would close my eyes and visualize myself running in the Chicago Marathon. I would visualize myself running with confidence, a confidence as if I have been waiting for this race my whole life. I don’t visualize myself barely crossing the finishline. I see myself sprinting to the finish with all the energy I have in me because that is the reality I want to create.

So, while my physical training may have slowed for the past couple of weeks, I am in better shape mentally than I have ever been in my life. In the weeks to come, I look forward to sharing with you the wonderful messages I have read!

DAY 102: Morning Motivation- Hard Work & Good Company

“There is nothing in the world that can’t be accomplished through hard work and with the help of God. Don’t be afraid to talk to God. After all, He is our Father.”

-Johnny Unitas, Former NFL Quarterback

If you are training by yourself, sometimes a workout can be lonely. Workouts are harder when you don’t have someone there to push you.

The good news is that you are never really alone when you workout. God is always at your side, watching you progress with each day. I’ve found that when I’m struggling at a certain point of my run, if I just ask God to help push me through this mental barrier, sure enough I am able to find the strength to outlast the temptation to give up, and I push on to the finish. Whether I run a personal best or struggle to the finish, I always take the time to thank God for helping me get through my workout each day. It is His protective hand watching over you and me that allows us to put forth our efforts to achieve our goals.

While I believe I am in control of my destiny, I humbly understand and appreciate that God is walking with me every step along my journey of life.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 101: Morning Motivation- Put It All On The Line

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”

-Erma Bombeck

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 5 mile

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 100: Morning Motivation- A Milestone Day

“If Henry Ford hadn’t kept going in the early days despite ridicule, we would never have seen the Ford car. It’s been the same with every great man you could name. He kept plugging when everybody said his chances of making first base were nil. You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”

-Babe Ruth, Former Major League Pitcher and Outfielder

If you’re still following along with me, and you’ve been consistently doing your workouts each day, congratulations! You are living the Babe’s words! Over the past 100 days, you have sacrificed gallons of sweat and hours of your time to help prepare yourself for your marathon. Some days you didn’t feel like running, but you did it anyway. You did it because you know that each day builds upon the previous day. Pushing yourself today will only put you in a better position for tomorrow.

You understand the power of persistence!

Takes some time to look back on the past 100 days. Look how far you have come! Consider the short term achievements you have made. Think of things that you may want to improve on for the next 100 days.

Acknowledge your hard work thus far. Capture this feeling of achievement and bottle it up so that you can remind yourself why what success feels like when you have a tough day. Keep plugging away. Success will find you!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 86: Morning Motivation- Lou’s 3 Questions

I’ve always been a fan of Lou Holtz. Besides having led Notre Dame to a National Championship, I have always respected Coach Holtz for the way he conducts himself as a person. He is a very simple man, and this simplicity is what has left such a profound impact on the players he coached and the people he dealt with. His philosophy on success was very simple. He said:

“The answers to three questions will determine your success or failure:

1. Can people trust you to do your best?
2. Are you committed to the task at hand?
3. Do you care about other people and show it?

If the answers to all these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail.”

As humans, we love to complicate things, but think about the questions just presented. These are not difficult questions. They are honest questions that reveal much about your character in a one word answer. Coach Holtz believes (as well as I do) that if people can trust you to do your best, if you are committed to the task at hand, and if you care about people and show it, you cannot fail. It is a formula for success.

If people can trust you to do your best, then you must have the discipline to work hard. If you are committed to the task at hand, then you possess the quality of persistence and dedication which will drive you to the finish line. Finally, if you care about others and show it, good things will happen to you because people don’t forget people who care about them. God doesn’t forget people who care about others.

In his latest book, Wins, Losses, and Lessons, Coach Holtz says,

“Hard times will come. They always do. But deep faith, hard work, and unwavering commitment to your goals will turn today’s tragedy into tomorrow’s triumphs.”

Today, honestly answer Coach Holtz’ questions. If you can’t answer yes to all three, think about what you can change in your life that will allow you to do so.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest press - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

WEEK 13: DAY 85: Morning Motivation- Personal Assessment VI

Now that we are one third through our marathon training, let’s take a moment to chart our progress over the past 12 weeks:

1. Have you given your body a fair chance to improve by staying faithful to your training schedule?
2. Have you given your mind an opportunity to grow by exposing it to motivational/ inspirational material each day?
3. Have you set aside ten minutes each day to reflect and pray in silence?
4. Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and work/ school?
5. Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and your relationships?

Take a few moments to recall how you have addressed each of these questions in your life over the 3 months. Reflect on what you have done well and consider areas where you know you can do better.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 8 mile

Cool down 1 mile

DAY 83: Morning Motivation- “Success Begets Success”

Training to run for a marathon can be very intimidating, especially if this the first time attempting to run a marathon, like myself. As my mileage is small in the beginning of my training, sometimes I can’t help but wonder how in the world I will be ready to run for 26.2 miles, much less run it in a particular time!

I find that the key to positioning yourself to be ready to run a marathon is to just take it a day at a time. I read a great article in Josh Hinds’ “Let’s Talk Motivation” newsletter today, in which he specifically talks about how small actions can make a big difference when training for a marathon. He says, “Success begets success”. What he means by this statement is that each workout is a challenge. If you can concentrate on making today’s workout a success by giving it your all and challenging your mind and body, then you will have an even better chance of performing well tomorrow. Your success today will roll into tomorrow’s workout, creating somewhat of a snowball effect. As your small successes begin to add up over time, you will soon be able to look back and see how much you have progressed as a result of pushing yourself one day at time, or one success at a time.

So don’t focus on 26.2 today. Break it down into small successes. Let time be your ally. As long as you commit the time to improve yourself each day, you will find that your endurance to run will increase greatly over the course of your training.

Make it happen!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs