1-2-3 Sundays: Energy Management, Discipline and Wins

Photo by Federico Beccari on Unsplash

A quick announcement before I jump into this week's newsletter.

I've decided to run the Great Scottish Run for the Beatson Cancer Charity.

Based in Glasgow, the Beatson provides patient/family support services to enhance cancer treatments and outcomes.

They're a fantastic charity and help the lives of so many people.

You can find my JustGiving link here.

1 Theme

Energy Management

I'm into the final week before the photoshoot.

This past week, calories remained low while movement was high. I pushed it at every session in the gym.

On Wednesday I went for a 5km run at lunch and went all out.

The intention was to set a PB and take a good chunk out of my previous time.

I did, however, the following day it left me feeling a bit rundown. Already in a state of depletion, I looked at the bigger picture on Wednesday night when deciding if I wanted to train in the morning.

I could go to the gym on Thursday morning or take a rest day and allow myself to recover.

I went with the latter.

Managing energy is as important as managing time.

If you're going to show up, you want to show up at your best.

There's no point turning up if you can't turn it up.

I don't think I would have been able to perform well at work on Thursday if I had trained that morning.

The result of this was I woke up on Friday feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

2 Positive Outcomes

A New 5k PB

I mentioned I went for a run at lunch on Wednesday. My colleagues and I set the intention of all going for PBs.

We went to a flat route and set off.

It was a little exposed to the fierce wind coming off the water however we all kept going.

During a 5k run, the worst part for me is from 2.5-4.0km. It feels like an eternity. It's at this point I keep pushing with my goal in mind.

I stopped my Garmin at 5k and looked at the time.

20:03.

What the fuck.

I had hit the target of a 20-minute 5k.

A quick Google search estimates that for someone my age 22:31 is intermediate and 19:44 is advanced.

My mindset on running at the start of the year would never have allowed me to reach this achievement.

It's only when you take a step back and reflect do you truly see how far you've come.

Prepared For The Grind

With one week left, it's going to be tough.

Fortunately, I know exactly what needs to be done to make next week a success.

There's been a lot of work put in over the past 2 months and next week will be a chance to see the fruits of my labour.

Mentally running through the challenges you're going to be faced with can help you prepare for their eventuality.

I did this for the marathon - taking a fine tooth comb through everything that could've gone wrong.

I'll be doing the same this coming week.

3 Things I've Learned

Celebrate The Small Wins

Working towards a goal is a journey.

There's bound to be wins and challenges on it - that's guaranteed.

What's important though is celebrating your small wins.

You can gather an appreciation of the effort and work you're putting in.

Discipline > Motivation

I don't wake up buzzing every morning.

When my alarm goes off at 5:45am during the week, I get up without hesitation.

Not because I'm a spring chicken.

The habit of getting up and starting my day has a greater effect on me than motivation. It's impossible to feel motivated all the time.

Discipline and commitment to the process drive results.

There are mornings when I'm driving to the gym thinking "cba today".

I tell myself I'm going and when I'm there I'm going to push myself.

There are evenings when I'd rather sit and relax than write but if I want to improve my skill I have to turn up and put in the work.