“Can I not do this?”  I kept asking myself this question.  I was up, fed, dressed, in the car and heading to the trail head.  “I really would like permission to not do this today”.  And yet, I kept driving.  I arrived, kicked off my moccasins, tied my trainers, hit the malodorous porta lou one more time, and again asked the question. 

How often have you negotiated with yourself about an upcoming workout, session, long run or cross training day?  Oh the warmth of the bed, the busy-ness of the day, the tweak in the calf, the low motivation of the psyche, or even the ‘I just don’t wanna’. 

There’s an axiom in the sales world that states ‘plan your work and work your plan’.  It is basically the same in the running world, or any world in which success of the end goal is desired.  If you’re aiming for a goal and you have a plan to achieve that goal, and you have confidence in that plan, then get out the door!

Over the years, I’ve been asked to speak a number of times about training goals and plans.  As both an athlete and as a coach, before the season even starts, I will at the very least jot down the end goal, then work backwards and figure out how to get from here to there.  Plans are not hard, rigid, never-to-be-deviated from stone tablets, but they do help keep you honest and moving in the right direction.  If it matters to you, you’ll do it.  If it doesn't, you won’t (trademark of Rickie Bobbie Shearer). 

Juma Ikkanga, former world champion marathoner, once said ‘the will to win is nothing without the will to prepare’.  I feel like I’m tossing around a lot of calendar sayings in this edition of ‘Thoughts’.  My apologies.  But sometimes, when a case of the ‘Can I not do this’ -itis sets in, a pithy calendar saying is enough to remotivate you. 

So what did I do?  What would YOU do?  As I am so often reminded, I do not have a $100,000 a year contract from Brooks or New Balance or Nike to do this (not yet, anyway).  At the end of the day, I do this because I love to do this.  I imagine most of you love to do this as well, for whatever reason(s).  Permission to take a day off out of sheer lack-of-motivational-ness is okay.  You can ‘not’ do this.  It’s quite okay.

Yeah, one of the best 7 mile runs I’ve had in a while.  Not wanting to do it doesn’t mean it ain’t gonna be good. 

I hope to see you on the roads, tracks and trails.