He's gonna know if I lie...

It's only the second day of school... the SECOND day! We haven't even had students yet, and I am exhausted. There's something very difficult and overwhelming about going from doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING all day long (for about 10 weeks, mind you) to running around like a headless chicken for 8 hours a day. It's like giving up relaxation cold turkey.

I know, I know, you're all probably thinking "Poor Kelly, how sad that her summer break is over and she has to go back to work." Right? Yeah, I thought so ;-)

I thought very hard about giving up today. It took me about an hour and a half to talk myself into running once I got home from work. The usual motivation techniques just couldn't bring me to lift my head off the pillow or nudge my sluggish body off the couch. Why do I have to run 5 miles when I feel like I just ran a marathon around the halls at school then got run over by about 15 semi trucks and a bulldozer? Well... because I didn't want a blank spot on my training log and coach would know if I'm lying... that's why.

But do I HAVE to move?

It's common sense, folks. It follows me from my job to my workouts to my eating habits. If you keep track of something, like training, for instance, you're going to be more consistent and dedicated to it. You will see growth and improvement... and that's the FUN part! My students read better when they can watch their words per minute go up on a graph and I do better when I can watch my mileage climb and my mile time go down (I ran at about 8 1/2 minute miles today, in case you wanted to know... feeling good).

TIP OF THE DAY: If you're thinking about training for something or just starting to run/workout/walk/diet... then think about tracking it. There are hundreds of ways to do it now online or on smart phone apps. Doesn't the thought of a blank spot on your training calendar just make you cringe?? What about if you know you're going to facebook your workout, you don't want your friends to think you suck do you?? If you have it planned or somewhere to log it, you are way less likely to skip it. That's like motivation and human behavior 101 people. Here are some awesome tools to use:


-Trainingpeaks.com- This is what I use. I get my workouts from my coach, but you can also purchase or download free training programs and track calories.
-iMapMyRun app for smartphones- FABULOUS app that records your workout while you are doing it.
-Nike + - I have not used this, but I have heard rave reviews. It costs a few bucks, but you can post to facebook when you start a run and you'll hear cheers on your iphone/ipod everytime a friend "likes" your status... sweet!
-myfitnesspal.com and smartphone app- A great website to track fitness (not just running) and calorie intake... I've heard good things.


Well everyone, those are most of the training things that I use or have heard personal reviews about. Here is a great website that offers descriptions of more smartphone apps for running... great tools to keep motivated and track growth. Oh god... I'm such a teacher... I scare myself sometimes.