Getting Out the Door

Mojo

"Once you learn to quite it becomes a habit."-Vince Lombardi

The key to being successful at anything especially athletics is consistency. To be consistent as an athlete you need to work out on a regular basis.  Working out nearly every day can be a challenge.  For me the toughest part is getting started. Once I am working out I'm fine, so I've come out with a few tricks to get out the door.

Partner
When I am in Texas I run with my favorite running partner, my nephew's dog Mojo.  He gets so excited to get outside, it is contagious.  His excitement and the fun we have running together get me motivated to get out the door.  Running with a partner or a group can be fun. When training for my first marathon I met with two friends every Sunday at 6am. There was no time to procrastinate like I do when I run by myself. Having this commitment got me up and running every Sunday morning.

Errands
I started training for Boston 2 weeks ago.  The long runs are always tough. I hadn't run for almost 2 months. So to help me get out the door I decided to combine the run with doing an errand.  I had Christmas cards to mail.  I took about 10 at a time and ran to the post office. It is about 1 1/2 miles round trip and by the time
my cards were mailed my long run was done.  Sometimes I take back library books at the beginning of a run. It is just the little trick I need to get me out the door.

Competition
In the winter is is cold and it gets dark early. When I get done with work sometimes the last thing I want to do is workout.  Swim workouts are especially tough. I hate getting into a cold pool when it's cold outside. So I think about Nationals in May and wonder what my competition is doing. I think about them working out to be ready and that motivates me to not only do my workout, but do a complete workout.  I tell myself Beth Price is swimming today ( current National Champion).  No disrespect to Beth, rather the opposite. I know if I am going to win at Nationals I can't skip workouts. I know my competition is working out so I better be too.

Classes
Right now I am taking an indoor bike class. My bike leg is my weakest part of my triathlon.  I signed up for a five month long class. I never feel like going to class. Still I go every week because I've paid for it. The money is charged every month whether I show up or not. This class is tough.  Our cadence, watts and miles per hour are all posted on a big screen in front of the class.  Keeping up with everyone else is very motivating.

You may find different tricks to get you working out. It does not matter what you do to get you moving as long as you workout.

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Chris Wodke