Goal: 4 miles – Reality: 3.12 miles / Taking Lessons from a Toddler (and not good ones)

Have I been taking life lessons from my 2.5 year old son? Because it’s like I need to test the “rules” I’ve been given when it comes to running. Do I think the coaches are lying to me about what’s best for me in training? Do I think they give me the training recommendations based on sheer guesses pulled out of the air of what might work best and help me be the strongest runner I can be?

No, dummy (and I’m talking to myself here, not you)! They give new runners like me these tips to help us be our best, and to take the guesswork out of it on our end. So maybe it’s time I start paying a little more attention to the “rules” so I can maybe hit my long run goals, unlike today’s failed attempt thanks to a body that waved the white flag way too soon this morning.

Simple rules like these, for example, might be worth following:

Get a good night’s sleep
Seems simple enough, right? Well except for the fact that despite the 6 am wake up call I knew I would have this morning for my run, I still felt the need to stay up until almost midnight last night fighting with a header picture for this blog. Because, you know, that couldn’t have waited until morning or anything.

Eat well (and avoid excessive salt)
So I’m guessing this means the McDonald’s extra value meal I had last night for dinner doesn’t qualify? Really? I think there’s some protein mixed in with all that fat somewhere. And don’t french fries count as carbs?

Stay hydrated
The two giant cups of coffee yesterday combined with a large diet soda last night with my healthy value meal probably don’t count for much in the hydration department, do they? You know, because it’s not like water is readily available to drink or anything from the giant water cooler at work, or our refrigerator (or heck, filtered tap at the sink) at home.

I think I’ve officially proven to myself that maybe it’s time to pay a little more attention to the little things surrounding my training as well as the actual physical training itself. I am somehow expected to run 5 miles by next Saturday, and something tells me that’s not going to happen on a diet of fast food and caffeine.

So in taking yet another lesson from my toddler, I’m going to put myself in Time Out now for not following the basic rules my coaches gave me. Once my Time Out is over, it’s time to start fresh with a better, and healthier eating plan this week. Look out 5 miles, here I come!

Keep on running!