Goal Setting – Fear and Persuasion

If you have ever had a Personal Trainer, then no doubt they have talked to you about “goal setting”  - and quite right too. Science backs up the natural human instinct to have something to go for....and goal setting can be the kick up the backside that you need when there are too many other things clamouring for your time.

It’s no good having a boring goal that you can move around to suit you.  Something like “I want to get fitter” can be pretty soul destroying, as you can keep that going for years without ever reaching it. Be specific. This is something that I have learnt recently as I start my goal to raise money for Cancer Research. Yes, I know I have been an instructor for years and yes, I know the science. But as someone whose job it is to do exercise, then the routine of doing stuff inevitably means you naturally are fit but you very rarely get the fear factor to get something done, nor the juggling needed to adjust your life to fit in even more exercise.... 

However, this all changed when I recently completed OutRun May for Macmillan Cancer.  At the beginning of the month you pledge to run a certain distance – the choice was yours. I thought 50 miles sounded pretty achievable (which is always a good thing when you set yourself a goal) – and also somewhat challenging (another good piece of advice).  It all started pretty well and each day I had a plan of how many miles I wanted to run – I knew I needed to do roughly 12.5 miles in a week to get to the 50 within the month – and it really did help to write this down and know what I had to do.

Half way through the month I did pledged to do a 5K as part of the Race for Life Challenge for Breast Cancer – as the time got nearer, I knew I could do 5K, and thus the challenge was less, so I was brave enough to increase the fear factor and up the pressure by converting to the 10K.. and having only run a maximum of 4 miles beforehand and yet to complete that without some bits of walking I was amazed that I managed to run the distance in one hour seven minutes – without a single walking step.

This got me thinking and believing. Owning the challenge in your heart is super important. I was so made up, I thought I could smash the 50 mile barrier and was so motivated. Then came week three. Week three had a series of family events that took out 4 days of running. It buggered my schedule even if the events were totally amazing.

Then came the last week of running and the pressure to hit the 50 miles develop into a real thing.  Boy, there were times when I was tired, aching and not wanting to go out, but because I had made the commitment, not only told people, but also inspired some of my friends to do it too, then it had to be done.  Don’t underestimate this. Fear of failure and the persuasion that reaching your goal will feel good are super pals to help you to reach that “I want to get fitter” goal.

So, here are the things I have learned:-

1. Set yourself a clear goal
2. Tell people what you are doing
3. Sign up for an event or race to set yourself a target
4. Get a diary to record your mileage and how you are feeling
5. Set a longer goal (I have set myself a goal of a half marathon in 4 months time – otherwise I might be very tempted to hang up my running boots!!)
6. Enjoy the feeling when you tick off that goal

It is slightly amusing that all of my personal experiences seem to reflect what science says works....

Good Luck everyone xx

PS I managed to run 55 miles in May
Rachel's 12 Months for Ovarian Cancer

5K – 10K – a leap of faith

After 4 weeks of steady plodding and jogging, something amazing happened.  All of a sudden I could “run”.  It might not be a fast run, an elegant run, but it was a run that kept going without stopping for miles.

The human body is amazing. From weeks of wondering about the sanity of doing something that seemed to be so tough, so painful that I never thought I would get to grips with it, it suddenly clicked. 

When I was training, in my mind my goal was to get “running in my legs” which basically means to get your body used to the action of running. It takes time for the nerve impulses to be used to firing in a certain way, to build more capillaries in the areas that you need them the most, to get your joints used to the pounding and movement and to be able to control your breathing. 

This meant two things.  Patience and Persistence.  These are my personal tips to help you (they really helped me xx)

1. Run on a regular basis.  Look at your calendar and note down the days you can fit in 30 – 60 mins of running.  Don’t worry if you can only run a mile or two on some days – it is the regularity of the running that helps more than the distances in the beginning.
2. Start a running diary.  Note down the date and time you ran for, how it felt – sometimes runs of the same distance a great, sometimes you have a rubbish run – don’t lose heart
3. Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable.  Nothing worse than an annoying bra strap that falls down or wearing tight clothing that makes you feel self-conscious.  Get the best pair of trainers for you.  Try wearing additional insoles for comfort. Wear a buff to keep your hair off your face and the ear phones in your ears.
4. Run at YOUR pace. Don’t get hung-up on what other people are doing. If you like running fast and then having a walk – do that. If you like to run just slightly faster than a walk – do that.  Start to enjoy the rhythm of your steps. It becomes hypnotic.
5. Keep relaxed – try not to get tense when it starts feeling tough. Slow out breaths.  Chill. My go-to idea is to imaging that I still have miles to run and that there is no worry – if I think I am close to the end of my run, I start to tense up  - no idea why Lol!  Let your arms and shoulders be relaxed and hold no tension. Control your out breath. Big sighs.
6. Keep going.  Try to shorten the walking bits and each time, try to run a little longer, a little further.  Keep going.  Try not to stop when the urge comes, try to push yourself mentally to put one foot in front of another – the feeling does go – and it may come back, but really the key to this running lark is in the word itself – run. Not walk.

Be Patience

Be Positive

Be Persistence

If any of you would like to help towards raising some money for Ovarian Cancer - here is the link to my Justgiving page.

Rachel's 12 Months for Ovarian Cancer

Endurance – it’s a mind thing

Noun: -   the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.  The ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina:

Learning to run has been an interesting experience.  I know that the science dictates the length of time and distance, you can choose from one of a hundred programmes to follow.  But they don’t tell you much about the bloody mindedness you need to overcome the mental state that you go through.

Start of the run – ooh, that feels a bit achy and sore, ooh why I am so out of breath, running was easier yesterday now I feel heavy and lumpy. Need to walk and catch my breath...

Middle part of the run – ok feel good.  Hey I can run a bit!  I can run a little faster maybe – ok, not that fast, need to walk again.  How many miles have I covered?

End of run – hey, I am sweating, but I feel ok. I can probably run at least another 20 minutes. I am a runner.

One hour after run – argh my legs, I can’t walk. Everything hurts.  Must go running again tomorrow...

During the walking bits, when going through the doubting phases and hurting parts, the thing that springs to my mind all the time is “endurance” and not the fitness kind of endurance “The ability of the muscles to sustain rhythmic motion over a prolonged period”  but the fact that you need to “endure” the training, the pain in the legs, the feeling of being out of breath and unfit, the ability to get up out of bed when you would rather surf the net, the deep breathing and rhythm of running that needs to keep going, without stopping for longer and longer.

I have found that the word “endure” is often in my mind – “Can I endure this?” “How long can I endure this?” – and it made perfect sense that endurance training, is all about your own mental ability to be able to endure the training for as long as possible – and that way not only do you get physically fitter, but you also get a small measure of mental toughness by knowing and understanding that you can do it.  You can endure.  You can keep going.

I find that I need to compare the level of uncomfortablness with something that I know really hurt in the past.  This is a relatively easy one for me since I have not long come out of hospital and suddenly the pain in my legs goes from an 8/10 in terms of pain, down to 3/10 when I think back on things. But you could use times when you also learnt to “endure” - maybe a broken heart, childbirth, broken leg, loss of job. Basically, anything that hurt you.  Find things in your life that you have got through. That you came through and although it hurt at the time, you made it.  These thoughts and images are a great measure that helps with running.

Now, I am sure that normal runners and athletes will scoff at this – because they have the fitness to cope. But if you are new to running like me, and have goals set that you want to reach, then you need as much mental resilience as you can.

I wish you luck on your endeavours. I have managed 16 miles in my first week towards 50 miles for May (OutRun MacMillan). As I run, that word runs through my head...endure...

5K – such a small word, such a hard mountain to climb....

Following a year of misery and pain through ovarian cysts, operations, cancer diagnosis and more operations, my posts over the next year will follow my journey to return to fitness and raising awareness (and maybe some money) for Ovarian Cancer.  I know many of you have enjoyed reading my fitness blogs, but I am now hijacking the page for my own personal story – hope you don’t mind too much...

5K - 3.1 miles...

Always sounds pretty doable.

Seems to be the entry number for most “beginners” races – then why does it feel so freaking hard to do?? I have years of fitness and knowledge and this little thing like running has made me wake up and realise what it feels like to be stupidly unfit.

I see my running friends posting about the 8 miles they have done or doing 4 marathons in one month. They make it look easy... and with this in mind, I pledged to run 50 miles throughout May 2016. That’s 2 marathons over 4 weeks.  It sounded a big enough challenge but still achievable.  In a fit of positivity and that cute little 5K number, I also signed up for the Race for Life event in 2 weeks. And I currently can’t even run a mile without stopping a few times and cursing under my breath that something so intrinsic to the human body can be so fiendishly difficult to achieve.

Yes, I know about taking it easy, building the miles, having rest days, mixing walking, jogging and running. I know about stretching and nutrition. What I have underestimated is the crushing psychological trauma that, hey baby, you can’t do it. You are going to look like a red faced sweating tomato with aches and pains in places you didn’t know, be conscious of your wobbling backside as you pound the pavements and far far from the image of casually running over the line with a smile.  Let alone you thought it would be a “good idea” to complete the race in 30 minutes.

Luckily the internet is blessed with a hundred running plans and programmes to help you on your way. All I need now is the doggedness not to give in – and I have.  I feel that I have been given this opportunity to push through these stupid self-esteem crushing and humble-making barriers.  I could be in hospital now or worse, but the cancer is gone and at 6.30am I am about to put my trainers on and go for a loosely termed “run” to get those miles in my legs..................wish me luck x

https://www.justgiving.com/Rachel-Hubbard2?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=Rachel-Hubbard2&utm_campaign=pfp-share