Confessions of an Amateur Athlete

michellependergrass.com    Procrastination .  It's a runner's Achilles heel.  Except for the actual Achilles heel. Okay, maybe that's not the right metaphor. Whatever the analogy, procrastination can come back and bite you in the rear!   Procrastination can show it's nasty face in a number of different ways for us runners.  You procrastinated getting your long runs in and now you don't feel prepared for your upcoming race.  You put off your run for too long and now it's getting dark and cold.      For me... I've procrastinated with speed work. Speed work is an essential part of getting faster.  You may not need it to finish a race, but if you plan on setting a personal best... it's kinda required.   I'm human and we all have our weakness... mine is speed training.  I'd much rather go run 20 miles than force myself to do 3 miles fast.      Some runners are the opposite.  They love doing...

  There are a lot of "tips" out there to staying motivated and reaching your 2014 goals. I've mentioned some of my tricks HERE .  But I thought I'd give you a few more that you may not have read or thought about.    I'm very big on running with friends.  As I've said, it's a great motivator and holds you accountable. But sometimes there just isn't anyone available or willing around.  So what do you do?  I say grab your pooch!  swimbikerunphoto.com    Now, not EVERY dog is made to run, or can.  But on those days where your lacking some motivation, and you have a pup who can handle the activity... strap on that leash and go!  Or if you've been wanting to get a dog...  this is a great excuse to go to a shelter and rescue your new running buddy!  Dogs need exercise.. and so do you.. so why not enjoy a little together ? Before you do though, there are few you things you should know about running with ...

 We've all set our goals, written down our resolutions, and are ready to tackle those challenges this 2014.  But the hard part is staying motivated in the months to come! vegannerd.tumblr.com   One of my tricks to sticking with my goals are REWARDS!  That doesn't necessarily mean food... although sometimes it can be.  What I'm referring to are small "treats" for reaching certain milestones along the way.   And I don't mean if you run one mile you'll buy a plane ticket to Hawaii... that may be a little excessive, but if that's your way of motivating yourself and you have the money, go for it. What I'm talking about are smaller rewards to make the big goal ahead not seem so far away.    For example, I have a race in two weeks  (the AZ Rock N Roll Half-Marathon ) and my training has been going very well.  So I rewarded myself with a new pair of running shoes!    The Brooks Ravenna 5 , are...