Pizza is Motivation Enough

After clocking out from work, I went to Peter's office, moaning about how I truly did not want to run today. Like any time I lack motivation, he says, "You want to run! Once you get out there, you're going to love it." Peter tries to further convince me, mentioning how nice the weather is and how it's a beautiful day for a trail run. This does not make a difference to my attitude.

Like yesterday, I was still exhausted and cranky, but somehow, I was able to find strength to make it to the trail. During the drive, I made up a song about my lack of motivation and how crazy I was for not just staying home.

Once I parked, I knew I had to just get 'er done.

I only somewhat posed for this picture. I legit had a hard time getting out of my car.

Fortunately, I was able to gather up what little desire I had left to run and hit the trail.

The first half was brutal. I was tired within the first mile. Though, I managed to make it 2.5 miles before turning around. I knew something had to change at that point to make it back in one piece. So I put all I knew about ChiRunning into play.

I focused on my feet first, knowing that they had to simply fall limp. The tension was really killing my ankes. They felt like they were on fire! Once I managed to relax my feet, "peeling" them as Danny Dreyer calls it, I felt immediate relief. Next, I slowly began tilting my body forward, letting my legs circle behind me. Suddenly, my hips began to loosen up. It was almost scary how I was taking a break from my run, even though I was still going at it.

What was even scarier....

...that's the best 5 mile running time I've had in months. In fact, that's probably the best 5 mile running time I have on the trail period. Though, some of my speed may have came from knowing there was pizza waiting for me at home, which is why I decided to all out sprint during the last quarter mile. Totally worth it too because that pizza was delicious!


What gets you through what feels like an impossible run?

Have you ever felt like you had the worst run ever, but ended with an amazing time?

Does food ever motivate you to finish a run strong? If so, what food?