1-2-3 Sundays: Progress, Motivation, Regret

1 Theme

Progression

It's easy to view a journey as being a straight line from A to B.

This isn't the case.

There are bound to be bumps and challenges along the way.

Progress isn't linear.

When things don't go your way as expected, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that all your progress has been wiped out, that you're back to the start.

Fortunately, this isn't the case.

Taking a dose of perspective will allow you to see how far you've come since you started. A momentary blip means you can refocus on your goal and reflect on the systems you have in place.

This week I had the intention of going for a sub 20 5k pb. My current PB is 20:03.

I woke Saturday morning to see it raining and the wind causing havoc. Not great running conditions. I went out anyway. Part of the route had me running into the wind which took its toll and had me struggling towards the end.

My time - 20:16.

It wasn't to be. Rather than beating myself up over this, I remembered the progress I've made in the last year.

August 2021 - not a runner or going running

August 2022 - a runner, working towards a half-marathon

Show compassion towards yourself and look at the bigger picture.

2 Positive Outcomes

Lack Of Motivation

How is this positive?

For context, I've been going all out for most of the year. Training for a marathon and the photoshoot while working on the blog are some examples of where a lot of my focus has gone.

In the last couple of weeks, I've felt a bit meh. Motivation has been low. Even after turning up for every training session, I don't always walk away feeling energised.

Working towards a sub 1:45 half marathon at the beginning of October should give me motivation however it doesn't feel the same as the marathon.

I'm less intimidated by the distance which could be a factor in me not respecting my training in the way I did for the marathon - I know I can run 13.1 miles.

I'm not being motivated by fear.

After discussing this with several people, I realised what I'm experiencing is perfectly normal. You can't always be motivated year-round.

Knowing I have a holiday coming up is playing psychological tricks on me too. I'm avoiding counting down the days despite how easy it is. This makes me sound like I'm not excited to go away - I'm buzzing for some Mediterranean sunshine!

Getting away will be a chance to disconnect, come down a few gears and enjoy the experiences.

My batteries and motivation can get the opportunity they deserve to recharge.

Overnight Weetabix Vanilla Cheesecake

The trendy younger brother of overnight oats.

I had a go at making this and it turned out well.

Decent calories and macros make this perfect for breakfast or a quick go-to meal pre or post-workout.

3 Things I've Learned

You'd Rather Regret The Things You Did Than What You Didn't

Ideally, your older years will be blissful having lived a full and amazing life.

You're more likely to remember how scared you felt when making a big decision that changed your life, for better or worse. After making a choice, you can say you did it. Lots of people don't.

Do the thing. If you fail it's okay. It's part of the process.

When you're older you may not be able to do activities that you want to do now. This is the best time to do it.

Swap These Words

A wise wee green guy once said "Do or do not, there is no try".

The oldest Jedi is encouraging us not to think too hard. When we "try" we tend to make excuses or put it off. We don't fully immerse ourselves in the task.

A common example is "I'm trying to be a morning person", but they aren't creating the habits or behaving as a morning person would.

A better word to use is "yet". I'm not a morning person, yet.

This implies you're on the journey to becoming one however you're not quite there. This subtle change shows you're doing rather than trying.

Doing always beats trying because you're still making progress, even if it's the smallest amount.

Fruit & Nuts

A small change to my diet this week has been the addition of more variety of fruit and nuts.

Fruits - oranges, grapes
Nuts - cashews, almonds

The reason being I wanted to eat a broader range of foods while also covering the full range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Nuts are a great source of both fibre and fats, the latter I'm making a conscious every to eat more of.

At least 25% of your daily calorie intake should be from fat sources to maintain body functions such as hormone regulation and brain function.

Before you go...

I'm running the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in October for the Beatson Cancer Charity.