It seems that every day the newspapers carry some form of running related story. I read a review of a new book with the very catchy title of ” Run Fat B!tch Run ” by mother of two Ruth Field. It also has a very interesting by-line “It’s time to give those skinny b!tches a run for their money!”. Ruth’s blog can be read here. What I enjoyed about the review and interview with Ruth, was her no crap approach to running. She says you don’t have to enjoy running; enjoy the benefits running gives you like being fitter, finding it easier to buy clothes, better confidence and concentration and much more. Too often we have excuses for everything, and are experts at talking ourselves out of what we want, and continuously set ourselves up for failure. She advocates finding your inner “bitch” ( I’m sure you’ll find one somewhere within you if you look) and “getting your arse of the sofa”. Sounds like a great book, but with a title like ” Run Fat B!tch Run “, I really wouldn’t go buying it for your wife or girlfriend if you’d like them to stay with you…
Its nice to see a different approach from the typical self help books out there, where you can think yourself thin, lose weight while your sleep, or ask the universe nicely and your heart’s desires shall be yours. Life can be hard enough at times, and it pays to have a bit of perspective, but when it comes to something that you really want – like losing weight, being fitter, learning a language or any of the myriad other things, the buck really does rest with you. Make a commitment to yourself for what you want. Write it down, look at it and think. What steps do you need to take? Break it into a step by step process. The first step is normally the hardest, and for running it could be just to get off the sofa and out the door. But when you are out, you’ve started.
January is almost over. How many New Year’s resolutions did you make? How many are still going? The first of January is a convenient benchmark for turning over a new leaf, but it isn’t the only day of the year you can decide to do something differently. How about right now? Pick one resolution ( studies show you have a much better chance of achieving one than half a dozen) and write it down. Better still get a picture and stick that beside it. Get a clear mental picture of what this resolution will mean for you when you get there. (as this is a running blog, imagine how you will look after the 8 weeks of training you will do, how you will feel when you’ve crossed the finish line, how proud and envious you will make your family or friends) Beside it write down the date you will achieve it by. Next write out the steps you need to take to achieve it. Then start with step one.
If you can’t run yet, then get out and walk. The Cara Bundoran Challenge can be run or walked. If this is your first time getting back to exercise, why not sign up to walk the 2012 Cara Bundoran Challenge, and next year aim to get to the point where you can run it? You’ll have plenty of company
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.— Robert Collier